NEW ORLEANS – A Metairie man says he and other door-to-door sales reps for Kirby vacuum cleaners were not paid the statutory minimum wage or for overtime, in violation of federal wage laws.
Christopher French filed a class-action lawsuit Jan. 11 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Louisiana Cleaning Systems Inc., Charles Nugent and The Scott Fetzer Co., doing business as The Kirby Co., alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to the complaint, French answered a Craigslist ad promising $500 a week upon entry into the defendants’ training program selling high-end vacuum cleaners door-to-door. Instead, French claims he worked 80 hours for two weeks with no compensation, although he attended mandatory two-hour sales meetings six days a week and canvassed neighborhoods from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. with other trainees.
French and other class members seek compensation for unpaid wages and attorney’s fees. They are represented by attorney Jessica M. Vasquez of the Vasquez Law Office in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana Case number 2:16-cv-00277