Skip to main content

Department of Labor v. EJ's Cleaning Services Inc

E.D. Ark.March 19, 2020No. 4:19-cv-00084
Plaintiff WinEJ's Cleaning Services, Inc.$17,487 awarded
Facing something similar at work?Check your rights — free, private, no sign-up

Case Details

Nature of Suit — the legal category of the dispute
710 Labor: Fair Standards
Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Unknown
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
summary judgment

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Claim Types

Wage Theft

Outcome

The Department of Labor prevailed on its FLSA claims against EJ's Cleaning Services and Edwin Johnson. The court entered a default judgment against EJ's for failure to comply with court orders and granted summary judgment against Johnson, finding violations of minimum wage and record-keeping requirements and awarding back wages plus liquidated damages.

What This Ruling Means

Court Rules Against EJ's Cleaning Services for Wage Theft

What Happened

The Department of Labor sued EJ's Cleaning Services and its owner, Edwin Johnson, for violating federal wage laws. The company allegedly failed to pay workers the minimum wage they were legally owed and did not keep proper records of hours worked—violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

What the Court Decided

The court ruled completely in favor of the Department of Labor. Because the company ignored court orders, the judge entered a default judgment against EJ's Cleaning Services. The court also found that Edwin Johnson personally violated minimum wage and record-keeping requirements. The company was ordered to pay $17,487 in damages, which included back wages workers should have received plus additional penalties.

Why This Matters for Workers

This case shows that employers cannot ignore their legal obligations to pay workers fairly. When companies fail to follow wage laws or ignore court orders, they face serious financial consequences. The ruling reinforces that workers have a right to accurate pay records and minimum wage protections, and government agencies will pursue employers who cheat workers out of earned wages.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

Browse more:Wage Theft cases

Browse Related

Facing something similar at work?

Court rulings like this one are useful, but every situation is different. Take 3 minutes to see which laws may protect you — it's free, private, and no account is required to start.

This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

See something wrong, or named in this ruling and want it corrected or redacted? Request a correction.