Strauss & Strauss recently obtained a victory of over $74,000 against Central Freight Lines, Inc. The case, Villarreal v. Central Freight Lines, Inc., was heard by the California Labor Commissioner. Plaintiff sought unlawfully deducted wages, interest thereon, and penalties. The Labor Commissioner sided with the plaintiff and issued the award below.
This case was another owner-operator misclassification case. Plaintiff was a driver for Central Freight Lines, Inc., and he leased his truck from the company. Central Freight Lines, Inc. deducted various items from Plaintiff’s pay, including sums for maintenance, insurance, and the lease payments. The Labor Commissioner found that Plaintiff was lawfully an employee, not an independent contractor, and that the deductions that Central Freight Lines, Inc. made from his pay violated California law, which prohibits employers from making certain types of deductions from pay.
The decision of the Labor Commissioner is below. Please call Strauss & Strauss if you have been misclassified as an owner-operator independent contractor driver for a trucking company.
http://www.strausslawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016.10.12-OrderDecision-or-Award.pdf