Reports have surfaced that the Personal Care Services, Inc., a Home Instead Senior Care franchise, may be unlawfully withholding compensation from employees in violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and California state laws.

On October 7, 2014, attorneys from the law firm of Sommers Schwartz, P.C. filed a class action lawsuit against Personal Care Services and Home Instead Senior Care on behalf of a group of health care aides, housekeepers, and caregivers. The plaintiffs claim that the defendants unlawfully withheld compensation in violation of federal and state wage and hour provisions by only paying them a flat fee per shift and failing to account for the total hours worked.

The lawsuit is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and Sommers Schwartz attorneys are now interviewing other workers to determine if their rights were violated and if they may be owed unpaid wages. If you were employed by Personal Care Services or Home Instead Senior Care in California at any time in the past three years as a health care aide, housekeeper, and caregiver, you may be eligible to join the class action.