No specific laws identified for this ruling.
Nearly 500 employees won their class action wage and hour lawsuit against Garda CL Northwest for failing to provide legally sufficient meal periods and rest breaks under Washington law. The court awarded back pay, some double damages, prejudgment interest, and attorney fees, though the appellate court reversed the double damages for meal period violations and prejudgment interest on rest break damages.
Security Company Must Pay Nearly $7.4 Million for Denying Workers Proper Breaks
Nearly 500 security guards sued their employer, Garda CL Northwest, for not providing proper meal periods and rest breaks required under Washington state law. The workers claimed the company either didn't give them breaks at all or didn't give them enough time to actually eat and rest during their shifts.
The court ruled in favor of the workers and ordered Garda to pay $7.36 million in total compensation. This included back pay for the missed breaks and attorney fees. While the original court also awarded double damages as punishment, a higher court later removed some of those extra penalties.
What This Means for Workers:
This case shows that employers must follow state laws about meal and rest breaks - they can't just ignore these requirements to save money or because of business demands. If your employer regularly denies you proper break time, you may have legal rights to compensation. Workers can band together in class action lawsuits when many employees face the same violations, which can be more effective than individual complaints. The large financial penalty here sends a message that courts take break violations seriously.
This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.
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