Stephanie James has filed a compelling lawsuit against her former employer, alleging unpaid wages and breach of contract. The complaint was lodged on April 21, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana against T & T Cleaners, Inc. Ms. James claims that her employer failed to pay overtime wages as required by federal and state laws.
According to the complaint, Stephanie James worked for T & T Cleaners from May 2012 until June 2023. During this time, she was promised an hourly wage with additional pay for overtime hours exceeding 40 per week. Despite routinely working more than 65 hours weekly, Ms. James alleges she never received the promised overtime compensation. "Defendant's failure to pay Ms. James proper overtime compensation was unreasonable and lacked good faith," states the complaint, accusing T & T Cleaners of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Louisiana Wage Payment Act (LWPA). The lawsuit details how Ms. James's role did not qualify for any exemptions under these laws, making her entitled to overtime pay.
The plaintiff is seeking judgment for unpaid wages amounting to over $50,000 plus an equal sum in liquidated damages due to willful non-payment by T & T Cleaners. Furthermore, Ms. James claims that her final paycheck was short by at least $1,000 when she left the company in June 2023. She made several demands for payment without success, prompting her legal action which also seeks penalty wages under Louisiana law.
In addition to financial restitution for unpaid wages and damages under FLSA and LWPA statutes, Stephanie James is pursuing a breach of contract claim against her former employer. She asserts that a valid employment contract existed between herself and T & T Cleaners requiring fair compensation according to agreed terms which were not honored by the defendant.
The case brings into focus broader issues surrounding employee rights and fair labor practices within businesses like dry cleaning services where workers may be vulnerable to exploitation through wage theft or contractual breaches.
Representing Stephanie James is attorney Karl Bernard from Karl Bernard Law LLC based in New Orleans. The case has been assigned Civil Action No.: 3:25-cv-00329-BAJ-RLB but details regarding judges involved have not been disclosed yet.