Court Ruling — W.D. Tex, 2025 #10711019

**Court Rules on Wage Theft Case Against Expeditors International** A worker filed a wage theft lawsuit against Expeditors International of Washington, Inc., claiming the company failed to pay wages properly. However, the case was dismissed because the court determined it didn't have the legal authority to hear the case against this out-of-state company. After winning the dismissal, Expeditors asked the court to make the worker pay their attorney's fees under Washington state law. The court said no to this request. While the company did win by getting the case thrown out on jurisdictional grounds, the judge decided that making the worker pay the company's legal bills wasn't appropriate in this situation. **What This Means for Workers:** This case shows that even when workers lose employment lawsuits on technical grounds (like jurisdiction), they may not automatically have to pay the employer's attorney fees. Courts consider the specific circumstances before ordering workers to cover legal costs. However, workers should be aware that jurisdiction issues can end a case before the actual wage theft claims are ever examined. It's important to file lawsuits in the correct court that has authority over the employer.