Cannabis Wage Suit: Kind Center Pays $2.8M to Workers
Table of Contents
Case Background
Pary Al Zahawi, an individual, filed the complaint on December 9, 2022, on behalf of herself and a large group of fellow employees, initiating a sweeping wage and hour class action. She named The Kind Center, Inc., KB Collective for Compassion and Care, Inc., and Flower Company as Defendants. The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, targeted the cannabis industry businesses for what the Plaintiffs asserted were widespread and systemic violations of California's strict labor laws. The filing immediately signaled a major legal challenge concerning worker rights in this rapidly expanding sector.
Cause
The primary legal action stemmed from the Defendants' alleged failure to meet fundamental labor standards set by the California Labor Code and the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). Ms. Al Zahawi claimed the companies developed and enforced policies that routinely violated their employees' rights.
Failure to Pay Minimum and Overtime Wages
The core of the claims asserted the Defendants failed to accurately record all hours worked and did not pay employees the legally required minimum wage or proper overtime rates for time worked over eight hours in a day or forty hours in a week. This resulted in systematic underpayment of hundreds of workers.
Meal and Rest Period Violations
The Plaintiffs also alleged that the Defendants failed to provide compliant meal and rest periods. California law mandates specific, uninterrupted breaks during work shifts, and the complaint claimed the employees either did not receive these breaks or that the company pressured them to perform work duties while they were technically off the clock, thereby failing to pay premiums owed for the missed breaks.
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