A federal court in Michigan has ordered the owner of a Haslett assisted living facility, who allegedly threatened to fire three employees after she suspected they cooperated with a US Department of Labor investigation, to attend training on federal anti-retaliation regulations and pay back wages and damages. On Dec. 11, 2023, District Judge Jane M. Beckering of the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division in Grand Rapids, issued the consent judgment and order requiring Safe Haven Assisting Living of Haslett LLC and owner Tamesha Porter to pay $16,500 in back wages and liquidated damages to the three affected former employees. The action follows a February 2023 lawsuit filed by the department in relation to its Wage and Hour Division’s findings that, after the division reviewed 18 months of Safe Haven’s pay practices, Porter regularly threatened termination and tried to identify employees she believed had cooperated with investigators. After one of the employees resigned, Porter contacted their prospective employer and made claims of the employee’s misconduct at Safe Haven.
