Joseph Tate, a resident of Louisiana, has taken legal action against his former employers, alleging they violated federal labor laws by failing to pay overtime wages. On April 7, 2025, Tate filed a collective action complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Kellogg, Brown, and Root LLC (KBR) and Technical Staffing Resources LLC (TSR), accusing them of denying earned overtime pay to employees who worked more than forty hours per week.
Tate's lawsuit claims that both KBR and TSR engaged in unlawful practices by not compensating their employees with the required overtime rate for hours worked beyond the standard forty-hour workweek. According to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employees are entitled to receive one and a half times their regular pay rate for overtime hours. However, Tate alleges that he and other similarly situated employees were paid straight time instead of the legally mandated overtime premium. This practice allegedly persisted despite Tate working extensive hours at KBR's Venture Global LNG facility in Plaquemines Parish since December 2024.
The lawsuit highlights several other individuals who have joined as plaintiffs, including Christopher Deville, Michael Williamson, Charles Smith, Colt Stone, Jason Spillers, Peyton Looy, and Nicholas Byley. Each plaintiff claims they experienced similar treatment regarding unpaid overtime while employed at either KBR or TSR. The plaintiffs argue that this pattern reflects a broader company policy aimed at circumventing federal labor laws.
Tate is seeking various forms of relief from the court. He requests certification of the case as a collective action to notify other affected employees and seeks payment for all unpaid overtime wages. Additionally, he demands liquidated damages and monetary penalties as allowed under the law. Furthermore, Tate asks for litigation costs and attorney’s fees to be covered by the defendants. If liquidated damages are not awarded, he seeks prejudgment interest as an alternative remedy.
Representing Joseph Tate in this legal battle are attorneys Charles J. Stiegler from Stiegler Law Firm LLC based in New Orleans and Robert B. Landry III from Robert B. Landry III PLC located in Baton Rouge. The case is presided over by judges at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana under Case ID 2:25-cv-00669.