Four Ocean State medical facilities in Providence and West Greenwich, and their owner and operator, will pay $175,000 in back wages and liquidated damages to 103 employees to resolve violations of federal overtime requirements, after an investigation and litigation by the US Department of Labor. The employer will also pay $50,000 in civil money penalties. The resolution comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by the department in January 2019 against North Providence Primary Care Associates Inc., North Providence Urgent Care Inc., Center of New England Primary Care Inc., Center of New England Urgent Care Inc., Dr. Anthony Farina Jr. and Brenda DelSignore in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. The consent judgment incorporates the court’s May 6, 2021, decision and order granting in part and denying in part the secretary’s motion for partial summary judgment. In that decision and order on summary judgment the court concluded that the defendants violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to properly compensate employees for overtime hours worked and not maintaining accurate records of the hours employees worked, including defendants automatically deducting 30 minutes per day for lunch even when employees had already punched out for lunch. In addition to payment of the wages, damages and civil money penalties, the consent judgment and order permanently enjoins and restrains the practices and their owner and operator from future FLSA violations. View the consent judgment and order.
