Engineer files lawsuit to obtain unpaid wages

NEW ORLEANS - An engineer has filed a lawsuit against his former employer in an effort to obtain three months of unpaid wages.

Montague Cooper filed the lawsuit against Boat Crews USA and Offshore Marine on March 9 in federal court in New Orleans.

Cooper was hired by the defendants on Oct. 24, 2011 as an engineer aboard the M/V Hannah B. He boarded the vessel in Larose and sailed with the vessel to Key West and to Haiti. He worked for the defendants until Jan. 24, 2012.

According to the lawsuit, he was hired at a rate of $100 per day for two weeks and then was to be paid $150.00 per day. Cooper claims that the defendants have not paid him any wages.

The plaintiff is seeking damages for unpaid wages, interest, attorney's fees, interest, and court costs.

Cooper is represented by Lawrence Blake Jones and David C. Whitemore of Scheuermann & Jones in New Orleans.

Case No. 2:12-cv-00646