IntraComm, Inc. v. Bajaj

**Court Rules Employee Owed Pay for Unpaid Hours** This case involved Habibi, an employee who worked for BAE Systems Information Technology through a staffing company called IntraComm. Habibi claimed his employer failed to pay him minimum wage for overtime hours, broke their contract with him, and committed fraud. He said he worked approximately 300 hours without proper compensation. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a split decision. The court ruled against Habibi on his contract and fraud claims, finding insufficient evidence to support those allegations. However, the court sided with Habibi on his wage claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The judges determined that Habibi was a regular employee entitled to minimum wage protection, not an exempt worker, and that he was indeed owed payment for the 300 unpaid hours he worked. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling reinforces that employees cannot be denied minimum wage regardless of their employment arrangement or how they're classified by staffing companies. Even when other legal claims fail, workers still have strong protections under federal wage laws. If you're working hours without pay, you may have rights under the FLSA even if your employer tries to classify you as exempt from wage requirements.