The US Department of Labor has obtained a consent order from a federal judge that orders the owner and administrator of an Illinois home care and home healthcare provider to pay $324,049 in back wages and liquidated damages as part of the department’s effort to recover overtime denied to 159 healthcare workers. Following a two-year review of pay practices of Destiny Healthcare Services Inc. by the department’s Wage and Hour Division, the action was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on July 31, 2023. Shortly thereafter, the department’s Office of the Solicitor in Chicago was able to obtain a consent order resolving all issues, including payment of $324,049 in back wages and liquidated damages, and an injunction for future compliance. From October 2020 through October 2022, investigators determined owner Mirza Baig and administrator Sonia Chalal did not keep accurate records of hours worked and paid the affected workers straight-time wages for all hours worked. By doing so, the Westchester-based employers failed to pay overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.
