01.10.12
Ryan Stephan and Jim Zouras Named Illinois Super Lawyers for Third Consecutive Year
We are proud to announce that for the third straight year, founding partners Jim Zouras and Ryan Stephan have been selected as Illinois Super Lawyers, a distinction given to no more than 5% of the lawyers in the state. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
12.16.11
Loan Officers Claim Unpaid Overtime at PNC
On December 16, 2011, we filed a lawsuit against PNC Mortgage Company and PNC Bank, N.A. (collectively "PNC") on behalf of our client and other Loan Officers claiming they were not paid for all overtime hours worked. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that PNC failed to keep complete and accurate time records and deprived them of earned wages, including overtime compensation. If you are or were employed by PNC as a Loan Officer in the state of Illinois and would like more information about the case or your rights, please contact us.
11.02.11
Loan Officer Brings Case against Fifth Third Bank
On November 2, 2011, we filed a lawsuit against Fifth Third Bank on behalf of Loan Officers claiming they were not paid for all overtime hours worked. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that Fifth Third Bank misclassified Loan Officers as exempt, failed to keep complete and accurate time records and deprived them of earned overtime compensation. If you are or were employed by Fifth Third Bank as a Loan Officer and would like more information about the case or your rights, please contact us.
10.18.11
Court Grants Motion to Conditionally Certify a Collective Class of Respiratory Therapists
On October 18, 2011, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted Plaintiffs' motion and conditionally certified a collective class of respiratory therapists working for The University of Chicago Medical Center. Plaintiffs are pursuing unpaid wages and other damages based on allegations that Defendant failed to pay an overtime premium for all hours worked over 40 hours per week and made improper automatic deductions for meal breaks in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA").
If you worked for The University of Chicago Medical Center and want more information on your rights, please contact us for a free consultation.
10.06.11
Court Certifies Class Action Lawsuit Against Cable Company
On October 6, 2011, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted Plaintiffs' motion for class certification against American Cable & Telephone ("ACT"). This case concerns cable installation and disconnect technicians who were subjected to improper expense deductions, misclassified as independent contractors, and not compensated for all hours worked including overtime. If you would like more information about this case, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
09.23.11
Stephan Zouras Obtains $9 Million Jury Verdict
In what is believed to be one of the largest Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) verdicts in 2011, a federal court entered a $9 million judgment today in favor of our clients following a jury trial. The FLSA class action lawsuit, which Stephan Zouras actively prosecuted for almost three years, was brought on behalf of 166 loan officers who were not properly paid minimum wage or overtime by their employer, Top Dot Mortgage, and its individual owners ("Top Dot"). At trial, we proved that Top Dot willfully created a pay plan which denied its loan officers minimum and overtime wages in violation of federal law, while its individual owners wrongfully added millions of dollars to their personal income. The jury specifically found that class members averaged ten hours of unpaid overtime each week.
Under the FLSA, employees are entitled to wages for all hours worked and time-and-a-half pay for all time worked over 40 hours in a workweek, unless they are exempt from the Act. Federal law also requires employers to maintain accurate time records of hours actually worked by employees.
Based on the total verdict, each of the 166 class members was awarded $54,000 on average.
According to lead trial counsel and founding partner Ryan F. Stephan, "this is victory not just for our hardworking clients, but for all Americans who deserve an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, exactly what the law requires."
Click here to read more.
For more information about the verdict in this case or about your wage rights, please contact us.
09.22.11
Notice Sent to Production Employees
On September 22, 2011, court-approved notice of our collective action lawsuit against Loffredo Gardens, Inc. d/b/a Loffredo Fresh Produce Co., Inc. ("Loffredo") was sent to current and former non-exempt production employees. Plaintiffs, individually and on behalf of other similarly situated employees, allege that Loffredo failed to pay them for all overtime, including time worked before and after their scheduled shifts and during unpaid meal breaks. If you worked as a non-exempt production employee for Loffredo in the last three years and would like more information about the case or your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
08.01.11
Court Grants Motion to Issue Notice to Trinity Production Employees
On August 1, 2011, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa conditionally certified our collective action case against Trinity Structural Towers, Inc., which is brought under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. We filed the case on behalf of current and former hourly paid, non-exempt production employees who were not paid for all time worked over 40 hours per week, including time they were required to work before their scheduled shifts. The class members, who will receive court-approved notice of this action, include individuals who were or are employed by Trinity Structural Towers, Inc. as hourly paid, non-exempt production employees in the state of Iowa within the last three years. For more information, please contact our office.
07.25.11
Between July 8, 2011 and July 25, 2011, three federal courts ordered Securitas to issue corrective notices in response to their efforts to implement company-wide mandatory arbitration on their current security officers.
The notice sent by Securitas sought to exclude officers from pursuing claims in court and from participating in class or collective actions.
In Molyneux v. Securitas (Iowa and Wisconsin), the Court ruled that Securitas' arbitration agreement may be confusing and misleading and appeared to be a targeted effort by Securitas to have security officers waive their rights to participate in this and other ongoing litigation. The Court also held that Securitas' unilateral actions undermined the integrity of the judicial process and role of the Court.
Next, in Williams v. Securitas (Pennsylvania), the Court not only ordered a corrective notice, but also ordered Securitas to rescind the arbitration agreement for all Pennsylvania security officers. Specifically, the Court ruled that Securitas' arbitration agreement is "confusing and misleading and clearly designed to thwart unfairly the right of its employees to make an informed choice as to whether to participate in this collective action under the FLSA."
Most recently, in the Hawkins v. Securitas case (Illinois),
the Court ordered Securitas to send a corrective notice to all its Illinois security officers and granted them additional time until September 9, 2011 to opt out of the arbitration agreement.
If you worked for Securitas and have any questions regarding your rights, please contact us, free of charge, at (312) 233-1550.
07.25.11
On July 25, 2011, the Court granted Plaintiffs' motion and conditionally certified a collective class of hourly paid retail sales employees working for Clear Choice Mobility. In its decision, the Court ruled that Plaintiffs made a modest factual showing sufficient to demonstrate a factual nexus binding the Plaintiffs to other similarly situated employees and that all of them could be victims of a common policy or plan that violates the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA").
In the lawsuit, Plaintiffs are pursuing unpaid wages and other damages based on allegations that Defendants failed to pay an overtime premium for time worked over 40 hours per week; made improper deductions for meal breaks; required them to attend meetings without pay, made improper deductions for their wages; and, failed to pay all commissions they earned.
If you worked for Clear Choice Mobility and want more information on your rights, please contact us free of charge.
05.20.11
Today we obtained a $650,000 judgment on behalf of one of our clients, who nearly lost a finger and sustained other serious injuries in a car crash. We are proud to represent victims and their families in catastrophic injury and death cases resulting from the negligence of others.
04.14.11
On April 14, 2011, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois conditionally certified our collective action case against Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. The case is brought on behalf of current and former hourly paid operations specialists and chemical handlers who were not paid for all time worked over 40 hours per week, including time spent donning and doffing before and after their scheduled shifts. The class members, who will receive court-approved notice of this action, include individuals who were or are employed by Safety-Kleen Systems, Inc. as hourly paid operations specialists or chemical handlers at the Dolton, Illinois facility between October 14, 2007 and the present. For more information, please contact our office
02.09.11
Today the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated a lower court's decision which incorrectly decided our clients could not bring claims as a class action. Our lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of current and former vehicle appraisers employed by Travelers Insurance Company, seeks unpaid overtime wages for work performed using their computers outside their regularly-scheduled shift. We look forward to pursuing our action on behalf of the class employees who we assert were wrongly deprived of substantial wages in violation of federal and state law.
01.07.11
We are proud to announce that once again Jim Zouras and Ryan Stephan have been named Illinois "Super Lawyers" by Law & Politics. The publication identifies no more than five percent of the lawyers in Illinois based on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, as well as independent research on each attorney.
12.23.10
On December 23, 2010, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois conditionally certified our class action case against Marsh USA, Inc. and Mercer, Inc. The case is brought on behalf of current and former Consulting Analysts and Actuarial Analysts who were misclassified as exempt employees and were not paid earned overtime for time worked in excess of forty hours in given workweeks. The class includes individuals who were or are employed by Marsh USA, Inc. as Consulting Analysts and/or Actuarial Analysts anywhere in the United States during the last three years. For more information about the case, please contact our office.
10.20.10
On October 20, 2010, technicians filed a lawsuit against Frontline Communications, Inc. and Comcast claiming they were not paid for all hours worked, including overtime. Specifically, Plaintiffs allege that Frontline and/or Comcast misclassified them as independent contractors, made improper deductions from their pay and deprived them of earned overtime compensation. If you are or were employed by Frontline Communications and/or Comcast and would like more information about the case, please contact us.
10.20.10
On October 20, 2010, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois certified our class action case against Comcast Corporation. The case is brought on behalf of current and former Customer Account Executives ("CAEs") who were not paid earned overtime and other wages. The class includes individuals who were or are employed by Comcast as CAEs in Illinois between August 17, 2002 and the present. For more information, please contact our office.
10.04.10
On October 4, 2010, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied Defendants' Motion to Decertify a Class of Technicians who are claiming unpaid wages and overtime. As a result, the case will proceed as a class action on behalf of over 600 class members. If you are a class member or worked at DirectSat and would like more information on the case or your rights, please contact us.
08.20.10
On August 20, 2010, Stephan Zouras, LLP was appointed lead counsel in a nationwide class action against World Alliance Financial Corp. (a.k.a. Vertical Lend Inc. and Mortgage Warehouse). Plaintiffs filed this lawsuit seeking to recover unpaid wages on behalf of all loan officers who worked for the company since December 9, 2005. The lawsuit charges that World Alliance Financial Corp. violated federal law by failing to keep accurate time records and failing to pay minimum and overtime wages earned as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and state law. If you would like more information about this case, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
07.01.10
On July 1, 2010, technicians employed by Matrix and Comcast filed a lawsuit against Defendants alleging they were not paid for all hours worked, including unpaid overtime. Plaintiffs also allege that Matrix and/or Comcast misclassified them as independent contractors, made improper deductions from their pay, deprived them of hard earned overtime, and required them to perform unpaid work off the clock. If you would like more information, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
06.29.10
On June 29, 2010, Hudson Mallaney Shindler & Anderson, P.C., along with Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca, LLP, Greenfield & Goodman, LLC and Stephan Zouras, LLP, filed suit against Casey's General Stores alleging breach of fiduciary duty to its shareholders for its failure to negotiate a takeover offer from Couche-Tard. Click here to read the full article about this case.
05.27.10
On May 27, 2010, notice of our collective action lawsuit against Per Mar Security Services was sent to current and former uniformed security guards who have worked for the company within the past three years. If you worked as a uniformed security guard for Per Mar in the last three years and would like information about the case or your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
04.14.10
On April 14, 2010, the United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York granted Plaintiffs' motion and certified a class of several hundred loan officers who worked for Lend America and allege they were not properly paid minimum wage and overtime. The class includes all individuals who were employed by Lend America as loan officers within the last three years. For more information, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
03.31.10
On March 31, 2010, Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted our motion to conditionally certify our case against Mortgage Source, a New York residential mortgage broker. Our clients are current and former loan officers who allege they were deprived of minimum and overtime wages in violation of federal and state law. The Court ordered Mortgage Source to provide us with a list of current and former inside loan officers who are eligible to join the case and authorized us to send notice to these persons. If you have worked for Mortgage Source as a loan officer and would like more information about your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
02.18.10
Plaintiffs' class action lawsuit against North Star Cable Construction, Inc. was certified by the United States District Court of the Northern District of Illinois on February 18, 2010. Plaintiffs are seeking unpaid overtime compensation and other damages. If you have worked for North Star Cable Construction, Inc. as a technician and would like more information about your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
02.05.10
On February 5, 2010, notice of the collective action lawsuit against JCG Industries, Inc. and Koch Meat Co., Inc. was sent to current and former processing plant employees who have worked for the company within the past three years. If you worked as a processing plant employee for Koch Meat in the last three years and would like information about the case or your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
01.08.10
Chicago Lawyer Magazine has recognized Ryan Stephan and Jim Zouras as two of the top young lawyers in Illinois, a distinction given to no more than 2.5% of the attorneys in the state. We are proud that colleagues and peers in the legal community have honored our two founding partners for all their hard work and tireless dedication to their clients.
12.15.09
On December 15, 2009, Judge Joan H. Lefkow of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois ruled that a group of current and former hourly poultry processing plant employees who worked for Koch Meat Company (also known as JCG Industries, Inc.) may proceed as a collective class. Plaintiffs are authorized to distribute notice to several hundred workers who were employed during the last three years to inform them of this lawsuit and their right to join. We are seeking to recover unpaid wages and overtime on behalf of class members for: 1) time spent donning and doffing their personal protective gear before and after their scheduled shifts; and 2) time spent working through unpaid meal breaks. For more information on this case, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
11.09.09
Plaintiffs' class action lawsuit against The Mortgage Zone was conditionally certified by the United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York on November 9, 2009. Plaintiffs are seeking unpaid minimum wages and overtime compensation. If you have worked for The Mortgage Zone as an inside loan officer and would like more information about your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
11.04.09
On November 4, 2009, the United States District Court of the Southern District of Florida granted plaintiffs’ motion to conditionally certify our collective action against Premium Capital Funding, LLC d/b/a Top Dot Mortgage. The plaintiffs in the case claim that were not paid a guaranteed minimum wage or overtime while employed as inside loan officers for Top Dot. If you worked for Premium Capital Funding, LLC or Top Dot Mortgage as an inside loan officer and would like more information about your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
10.01.09
Click here to read Jim Zouras' article.
09.28.09
On September 28, 2009, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted Plaintiffs' motion to consolidate the two cases of Franco, et al. v. Lend America and Fraser, et al. v. Lend America. In the consolidated case, Plaintiffs continue their efforts to recover damages for unpaid overtime and minimum wages. If you would like more information on your rights, please feel free to contact us.
09.13.09
Jim Zouras was interviewed about wage litigation in the financial industry. Click here to read the article published by FinCriAdvisor.
08.31.09
On August 31, 2009, the New York federal district court granted our motion to conditionally certify our collective action against Concord Mortgage Corp. The case is brought on behalf of inside loan officers who were not paid a guaranteed minimum wage or overtime. If you worked for Concord Mortgage Corp. as an inside loan officer and would like more information about your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
07.24.09
On July 24, 2009, the Superior Court for the State of California granted Stephan Zouras' motion to be admitted into the Holland et al v. Securitas case as counsel for the Plaintiffs.
Stephan Zouras, LLP joins Appleton, Magnanimo & Dean, LLP, Westrup Klick, LLP and Cuneo, Gilbert and LaDuca, LLP as counsel for the Plaintiffs. Plaintiffs allege that they were not paid for all the time they worked including time spent giving and receiving pass down instructions, time spent maintaining their uniforms and time worked training, amongst other things. Plaintiffs are seeking to recover unpaid wages, liquidated damages and other relief under California State Laws. For more information on this case, please feel free to contact us.
07.21.09
On July 21, 2009, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York certified our class action against IBM Corporation. The case is brought on behalf of current and former call center employees of IBM's Riveredge, Georgia facility who were not paid overtime for work they performed pre-shift including booting up their computers and initializing a number of software applications. For more information, please read the court approved Notice.
06.16.09
On June 16, 2009, Judge Joseph F. Bianco of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York granted our motion to conditionally certify our case against Franklin First Financial, Ltd., a New York residential mortgage broker. Our clients are current and former loan officers who allege they were deprived of minimum and overtime wages in violation of federal and state law. The court ordered Franklin First to provide us with a list of current and former inside loan officers who are eligible to join the case and authorized us to send notice to these persons.
05.12.09
On May 12, 2009, notice of the class action lawsuit against Specialty Construction Brands, Inc. and HB Fuller Company was sent to current and former manufacturing plant employees who have worked in Palatine, IL, Gainesville, FL or Edison, NJ in the past three years. If you worked as a manufacturing plant employee at any of these locations and would like information about the case or your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
04.22.09
On April 22, 2009, notice of the class action lawsuit against Premium Capital Funding LLC a/k/a Top Dot Mortgage was sent to over 700 loan officers. If you worked for Premium Capital Funding LLC a/k/a Top Dot Mortgage at anytime between April 22, 2006 and the present and would like information about the case or your rights, please contact us at (312) 233-1550 or lawyers@stephanzouras.com.
03.20.09
As of March 19, 2009, over 1,000 current and former security guards have joined our case against Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. as opt-in Plaintiffs. If you are currently employed, or have been employed in the past three years, by Securitas as a security guard, and would like more information on this case, we encourage you to read the court approved Notice.
03.17.09
On March 17, 2009, manufacturing plant employees of Specialty Construction Brands, Inc. and HB Fuller Company filed a lawsuit against the company alleging they were not paid for all hours worked, including unpaid overtime. Plaintiffs allege that Specialty Construction Brands, Inc. and HB Fuller Company deprived them of time and a half pay for overtime and required them to perform unpaid work off the clock. If you would like more information, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
02.12.09
On February 10, 2009, the federal Court denied McDonald's Motion to Dismiss and allowed Plaintiffs to proceed with their claims for unpaid wages and overtime.
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02.11.09
On February 11, 2009, notice of the class action lawsuit against Securitas Security Services USA, Inc. was sent to over 10,000 current and former security guards. If you are currently employed, or have been employed in the past three years, by Securitas as a security guard, and would like more information on this case, we encourage you to read the court approved Notice.
01.20.09
On January 20, 2009, the Court ruled that Plaintiffs can proceed as a collective class. Specifically, the Court conditionally certified a class of over 10,000 security guards who have worked for Securitas in the state of Illinois during the past three years. Plaintiffs are now authorized to issue notice to these guards to inform them of their rights to participate in this lawsuit. Plaintiffs are seeking to recover unpaid wages and overtime for time spent: 1) working before the start of their scheduled shifts, "pre-shift"; 2) working after the end of their scheduled shift, "holdover time"; 3) training; and 4) cleaning, pressing and maintaining their uniforms to comply with Securitas' dress code. if you want more information on this case, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
12.30.08
On December 30, 2008, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted Plaintiffs' motion and certified a class of several hundred technicians and installers who worked for Direct Sat USA and allege they were not properly paid overtime. The class includes all individuals who were employed by DirectSat as service technicians or production technicians in Illinois since December 3, 2006. For more information, please call us at (312) 233-1550.
11.04.08
On November 4, 2008, employees of Total Finance, LLC filed a lawsuit against the company claiming they were not paid for all hours worked, including unpaid overtime. Plaintiffs allege that Total Finance deprived them of time and a half pay for overtime and required them to perform unpaid work off the clock. If you would like more information, please contact us at (312) 233-1550.
10.30.08
On October 30, 2008, the Court issued an order conditionally certifying our case against Fill-Ups Food Stores, a Southeast Regional convenience store chain. The case is brought on behalf of current and former Assistant Store Managers who were denied overtime compensation for all hours worked in excess of 40 in any workweek. The Court authorized us to send notice to everyone eligible to join, which is estimated to consist of several hundred individuals. For more information, please call us at (312) 233-1550.
10.25.08
Over 250 current and former loan officers of Lend America have joined our case to assert their rights to unpaid overtime and minimum wages. On August 13, 2008, the Court conditionally certified our case, ordered Lend America to provide us with a list of current and former loan officers who are eligible to join and authorized us to send notice to these individuals. For more information, please call us at (312) 233-1550.
10.22.08
On October 22, 2008, the Court granted our motion to conditionally certify our case against The Collection Clothing Management, a clothing retailer with approximately 15 stores in Illinois. The case is brought on behalf of current and former sales representatives who seek unpaid back overtime compensation. The Court ordered The Collection Clothing Management to provide us with a list of current and former sales representatives who are eligible to join the case and authorized us to send notice of the case to these individuals. For more information, please call us at (312) 233-1550.
10.07.08
Jim Zouras was an invited speaker at the Chicago Bar Association where he discussed handling complex wage and hour litigation against large law firms and corporations.
06.11.08
For Jennifer Adams, it's not about the money. Instead, her decision to join a class action lawsuit against Clark County-based Speedway SuperAmerica is about rallying behind the former employees who had the sheer gall to claim what they say they are owed in unpaid overtime for "off-the-clock" tasks.
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04.30.08
Pete Wentz's rep had this to say about the assault claim filed against the Fall Out Boy bassist earlier today in Chicago: "This case is meritless. We looked into it and the facts don't support his claims. We will vigorously defend this case in court."
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04.24.08
Former employees of Speedway SuperAmerica, LLC are suing the Clark County-based company, alleging that they were not property compensated for overtime, an attorney for the plaintiffs said Wednesday, April 23.
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04.15.08
A class action lawsuit against the fast-food giant alleges Missouri employees were not compensated for all the hours worked on and off the clock. Although the initial suit was filed in Cole County in February, attorneys for Illinois-based McDonald's Corp. moved the suit to federal court in Kansas City on Friday.
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01.14.08
Several former Casey's General Stores, Inc. cooks and cashiers filed a nationwide wage and overtime class action lawsuit on January 10, 2008, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa against Casey's.
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05.31.07
Convenience store chain Casey's General Stores Inc. was named in a federal lawsuit Wednesday in which two assistant managers claimed the company refused to pay them overtime.
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