| Moreno v Future Care Health Servs., Inc. |
| 2014 NY Slip Op 50449(U) [43 Misc 3d 1202(A)] |
| Decided on January 16, 2014 |
| Supreme Court, Kings County |
| Schmidt, J. |
| Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. |
| This opinion is uncorrected and will not be published in the printed Official Reports. |
Adriana
Moreno and Leonidas Peguero-Tineo, individually and on behalf of all others similarly
situated, Plaintiffs,
against Future Care Health Services, Inc., Americare Certified Special Services, Inc., Ethan Dreifus, Esan Dresus and Martin Kleinman, Defendants. |
The following papers numbered 1 to 8 read herein:
Papers Numbered
Notice of Motion/Order to Show Cause/
Petition/Cross Motion and
Affidavits (Affirmations)/ Memoranda in Support1 - 4
Opposing Memorandum and Affidavits/ Affirmations5 - 6
Reply Memorandum7
Other Papers Transcript of Oral Argument on the Motion8
Upon the foregoing papers, defendants, Future Care Health Services, Inc. (Future Care), Americare Certified Special Services, Inc., (Americare), Ethan Dreifus (Dreifus) [*2]and, Martin Kleinman (Kleinman), (collectively "Future Care defendants)[FN1] move for an order:
a.Pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) (1) and (7), dismissing all counts of the plaintiffs' complaint;
b.Pursuant to CPLR 901 (a), dismissing the class action as to all counts of the plaintiffs' complaint;
c.Pursuant to CPLR 901 (b), dismissing the class action as to counts I, II, III, IV, and V of the plaintiffs' complaint; and
d.For an order, dismissing all counts of the plaintiffs' complaint as against Ethan
Dreifus, Martin Kleinman and Americare as neither were plaintiffs' employer. The
underlying action results from defendants' alleged violations of the New York Labor
Laws ("NYLL") as well as claims for defendants' alleged breach of contract and unjust
enrichment at the expense of the named plaintiffs, Adriana Moreno (Moreno) and
Leonidas Peguero-Tineo (Peguero-Tineo), as well as the proposed class. According to
the complaint, Moreno and Peguero-Tineo allege they were health care workers who
provided home care services to disabled and elderly individuals. Moreno alleges she was
employed by defendants from December, 2008 to July, 2012 [FN2] and Peguero-Tineo alleges she was
employed by defendants from June, 2010 to August, 2011. Plaintiffs allege, among other
things, that during the relevant period, they were not paid all wages due, not paid
overtime wages and, frequently worked a "spread of hours," or a shift longer than ten
hours per day, without receiving an additional hour of work at the minimum wage as
required by the NYLL. Plaintiffs contend that they were required to attend "in-service"
training sessions approximately three times a year, without pay, at defendant Future
Care's office location. Plaintiffs further allege that since approximately May 2011, the
defendants have improperly classified the named plaintiffs and the class as "live-in"
employees, paying them a flat-rate that does not satisfy the minimum wage and overtime
pay requirements for all of the hours they worked. Plaintiffs claim to have worked as
many as 80 hours in a work week without receiving any overtime premium for the hours
they worked in excess of 40.
Plaintiffs' seek redress under seven separate counts within their complaint as [*3]follows:
Defendant Future Care was contracted by codefendant, Americare, to provide home
health care services for Americare's elderly and/ or disabled clients in and around New
York City. Codefendant Dreifus was an "administrator" at Future Care who, as
defendants contend, left Future Care's employ some time in 2009. Codefendant Kleinman
is an executive at Americare.
Within their motion, defendants argue that all counts of the complaint must be
dismissed. Defendants allege that, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) (7), Counts I, II, III, VI
and, VII must be dismissed because plaintiffs' allegations fail to state causes of action
thereunder. Defendants proffer that flat-rate pay for overnight "live in" home health aides
is not per se impermissible and the allegations regarding the alleged "unpaid" training
sessions must be dismissed as there is no basis under New York State law for
compensation during such sessions. Defendants allege that "Count IV" must be dismissed
because, in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement (CBA), plaintiffs
received a maintenance allowance of $30.00 per month that covered laundering their
uniforms. Defendants further allege that, even if this stipend were not contained within
the CBA, the plaintiffs' pay sufficiently exceeded the statutory floor making such a
payment inapplicable. To the extent that "Count VI" rests on the applicability of Public
Health Law (PHL) § 3614-c, known as the Home Care Worker Wage Parity Act
(Wage [*4]Parity Act), such count must also be dismissed
as same is substantially inapplicable to the named plaintiffs due to the enforcement dates
listed within PHL § 3614-c (3)(a) and (b). Additionally, defendants contend that no
class action may be maintained as to Counts I, II, IV, V, VI and, VII by operation of
CPLR 901 (a) and/ or (b).
The defendants also seek dismissal of all claims as against , Dreifus, Kleinman and
Americare alleging that neither was an employer of the plaintiffs. Regarding Dreifus,
defendants contend that he left Future Care in 2009, prior to any alleged wrongdoing
thus, he cannot be held responsible for any of the plaintiffs' claims. As to Kleinman and
Americare, defendants argue that Future Care, by virtue of an agreement between
Americare and Future Care, is the only entity who should be defending this action since
said agreement creates a contractor/ subcontractor relationship thus absolving Americare
and its principal, Kleinman, of any liability.
In support of their request for dismissal based upon CPLR 3211 (a) (1), defendants
submit, as exhibits to defense counsel Aaron C. Schlesinger's (Schlesinger) affirmation,
the following:
In opposition, the plaintiffs argue that the defendants' extrinsic evidence does not
support dismissal of the complaint at this early stage of the litigation since such evidence
merely tends to suggest that the defendants might have a defense. That to succeed on
their motion, the extrinsic evidence must conclusively prove that the plaintiffs have no
cause of [*5]action. Plaintiffs further contend that the
defendants offer only "hypothetical scenarios" and wage calculations in lieu of direct
evidence to illustrate that the plaintiffs were properly compensated for all hours worked.
Plaintiffs allege that the failure to include any wage and time records, all presumably
within the defendants custody and control, tend to support the plaintiffs' allegations
including, among others, that the defendants have failed to keep proper records. Plaintiffs
allege that when an employer fails to keep required accurate records, the amount and
extent of underpayment should be based on the reasonable testimony of the employee,
thus, precluding dismissal.
Plaintiffs argue that the allegations within the complaint are sufficiently
particularized to state causes of action and that the defendants' authority to the contrary is
inapplicable. Plaintiffs aver that, while the CBA may authorize a stipend for laundering
and supplies, defendants have offered no direct evidence proving that the stipend was
ever paid. Moreover, any allegations that the plaintiffs' salary exceeded the threshold for
such a stipend is illusory as again, the defendants have offered no direct evidence in the
form of wage or hourly records.
With regard to class action status, plaintiffs contend that they are permitted, and have
waived, the right to seek liquidated damages thus falling outside the prohibition of CPLR
901(b); to wit, that a class action is impermissible when the statute under which the
action is brought imposes a penalty such as the liquidated damages provision under the
NYLL. Moreover, contrary to the defendants' assertion, plaintiffs allege that they can
establish all five prerequisites for a class action under CPLR 901(a) and will do so when
they make their motion for class certification. Plaintiffs stand on the position that the
defendants' attempt to litigate class certification in the instant motion is premature as
plaintiffs have neither had the opportunity to conduct discovery related to class
certification nor have plaintiffs even made a motion for such certification.
As to the claims against Dreifus, plaintiffs proffer that, while defendants suggest
Dreifus left Future Care in 2009, they also admit that during a portion of the class period,
he was still employed by Future Care. As defendants offer no evidence of Dreifus'
relationship with Future Care, his status cannot be fully ascertained at this early stage of
the litigation.
With regard to the claims against Americare and Kleinman, the plaintiffs make an
argument similar to the argument against dismissing the Dreifus claims, to wit, that the
instant motion to dismiss as against these defendants rests solely on the one-year contract
between Americare and Future Care. Plaintiffs argue that because the class period is
considerably broader than this one year period, the court cannot, at this juncture, reach
the question of whether Americare and Kleinman employed the plaintiffs under the
NYLL until it reviews all the relevant facts surrounding the plaintiffs' employment
relationship with the defendants. Moreover, the one year services contract does not
"utterly refute" plaintiffs' allegations that they were jointly employed by Americare and
Kleinman.
To the extent that the defendants' arguments under
CPLR 3211 (a)(7) may rely upon both, "documents" submitted in support of their
arguments under CPLR 3211 (a)(1) and those arguments supporting their request to
dismiss the class action, the court shall first address those branches prior to addressing
the defendants' requests pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7).
CPLR 3211 (a) (1)provides in pertinent part that a party may move for judgment
dismissing one or more causes of action asserted against him on the ground that: (1) a
defense is founded upon documentary evidence. Where a defendant moves to dismiss an
action asserting the existence of a defense founded upon documentary evidence, the
documentary evidence must be such that it resolves all factual issues as a matter of law
(see Leon v Martinez, 84 NY2d 83, 88 [1994]: Heaney v Purdy, 29
NY2d 157 [1971] Berger v Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, 303 AD2d 346
[2003]). In order to be considered documentary evidence within the meaning of CPLR
3211(a)(1), the evidence "must be unambiguous and of undisputed authenticity" (Rabos v R & R Bagels & Bakery,
Inc., 100 AD3d 849 [2012] Fontanetta v John Doe 1, 73 AD3d 78 [2010]), that is, it
must be "essentially unassailable" (Rabos, supra; Suchmacher v Manana Grocery,
73 AD3d 1017 [2010] see
Norment v Interfaith Ctr. of NY, 98 AD3d 955 [2012]). Therefore, a motion to
dismiss may be granted on documentary evidence so long as the documents alone
definitively dispose of plaintiffs' claims (see Blonder & Co., Inc. v Citibank, N.A., 28 AD3d 180
[2006] Bronxville Knolls Inc. v Webster Town Center Partnership, 221 AD2d
248 [1995] [emphasis added]). The movant may not rely on affidavits or depositions to
support a motion to dismiss pursuant to CPLR 3211(a)(1) (see Fontanetta at 78).
Moreover, with respect to the documentary evidence submitted pursuant to CPLR
3211(a)(1), since the instant motion will not be converted into one for summary
judgment, the pleadings must be given "their most favorable intendment" (Arrington
v New York Times Co., 55 NY2d 433, 442 [1982]), and the plaintiffs' allegations
which are contrary to the documentary evidence must be accepted (see Sopesis
Const., Inc. v Solomon, 199 AD2d 491, 493 [1993] Scheller v Martabano,
177 AD2d 690 [1991]). However, a complaint containing factual claims that are flatly
contradicted by documentary evidence should be dismissed (see Well v Rambam,
300 AD2d 580, 581 [2002] Kenneth R. v Roman Catholic Diocese of
Brooklyn, 229 AD2d 159, 162 [1997], cert. denied 522 US 967 [1997]). "As
a defense, it is the defendant who has the burden of showing that the document offered
meets the enumerated standard for dismissal" (Schapiro v Schmuckler, 21 Misc
3d 1119[A], 2008 NY Slip Op 52104[U] Sup Ct, Kings County 2008]).
In the interest of clarity, the court shall individually address the defendants'
"documentary" submissions. The four exhibits to Schlesinger's affirmation are first
discussed continuing then with the two exhibits to Dreifus' affidavit.
This document does not reference a specific company
promulgating such policy, nor a specific "live-in aide" to whom same applies. Although
there are lines at the bottom labeled "Signature," "Print Name" and, "Date," such lines are
blank. As a result of this submission's unproven authenticity and ambiguous applicability
to the parties herein, same cannot be considered "documentary evidence" under CPLR
3211 (a) (1) (Rabos, supra; Fontanetta, supra). Consequently, such document
neither resolves any factual issues nor establishes a defense to the asserted claims as a
matter of law (see Leon at 88) and is of no probative value.
This March 11, 2010, correspondence from the DOL is an "Opinion Letter" which
was generated in response to a letter sent to the DOL requesting same. The pertinent
issues with this submission are as follows:
a.The party requesting this submission is unknown as their identity and mailing
address have been redacted from the exhibit.
b.The "November 23, 2009" letter requesting this opinion, presumably containing
the criteria under which the opinion applies, has not been provided in the papers. The
submission reads, "[t]his opinion is based on the information provided in your letter
dated November 23, 2009. A different opinion might result if the circumstances stated
therein change, if the facts provided were not accurate, or if any other relevant facts were
not provided." The requesting letter forms the basis for this opinion letter's applicability
to the employees. Absent this letter, any connection to the plaintiffs herein is "ambiguous
at best."
c.The submission reads, "[y]our letter asks four questions for which you request that
it be assumed that your client's employees are within the FLSA companionship
exemption" with no explanation as to what such exemption is, or why it applies to the
plaintiffs herein.
d.The defendants rely on this submission for the proposition that, "[d]uring times
which plaintiffs claim they were paid a live-in rate of $115 or $120 per day, such days
are deemed to be 13 hour days." The relevant text actually reads as follows,
The "rubric" referenced within the previous quote, reads as follows,
[*8] As defendants contend, the excerpted pages do indeed reference a stipend to be paid
to the plaintiffs as a "maintenance allowance." As stated above, the documentary
evidence must be such that it resolves all factual issues as a matter of law (see Leon,
supra). This purported "document" does not conclusively prove that such stipend,
while permitted, was actually paid to the plaintiffs. "[U]nless it has been shown
that a material fact as claimed by the pleader to be one is not a fact at all and unless it can
be said that no significant dispute exists regarding it, ... dismissal should not eventuate"
(Guggenheimer v Ginzburg, 43 NY2d at 275 [1977]). Consequently, absent any
direct evidence within this document that such stipend was actually paid, Exhibit "C" too
fails to satisfy the defendants' burden thus [*9]precluding
a grant of dismissal.
Defendants contend, "Americare and Kleinman did not employ Plaintiffs, had no
role in supervising, hiring or firing employees and merely retained Future Care as a
subcontractor to provide health care workers." To evidence the "relationship" between
Americare and Future Care, defendants offer a "Services Contract" with three attached
addenda, executed by Martin Kleinman, as President and CEO of Americare and Anna
Gottdiener, as Vice President of Future Care. The contract covers the period of January
1, 2011 through and ending December 31, 2011. Based on this submission, defendants
argue that a general contractor/ subcontractor relationship exists between Americare and
Future Care thus, Americare and Kleinman are absolved from liability.
Prior to any analysis of the purported general contractor/ subcontractor relationship
that the document may or may not establish, the court must first review the document
itself under the CPLR 3211 (a)(1) standard enumerated above. According to section 7,
page 6, under the heading, "Term of Contract," appears the following language: "This
Contract shall have a term of one (1) year commencing on the Effective Date of the
Agreement. The term shall automatically renew for two (2) additional terms of one (1)
year each unless either party shall give the other party . . ." There is no language within
this submission, indicating that this contract is an automatic renewal of any prior contract
between these parties, nor is there any language confirming that, in accordance with the
"Term of Contract" provision stated above, this particular contract did in fact renew.
Resting solely upon this submission, defendants request dismissal of all claims
against Kleinman and Americare. According to the plaintiffs' complaint the "class
period" allegedly runs from as early as February 6, 2007 until approximately February 6,
2013. This contract covers only the period between January 1, 2011 through and ending
December 31, 2011. Again, this document, alone, fails to evidence any relationship
between these two entities prior to January 1, 2011 or after December 31, 2011. In fact,
defendants offer no additional documentary evidence of any kind establishing the
relationship between Americare and Future Care for any other part of the alleged "class
period" other than the year 2011. As long established, a motion to dismiss may be
granted on documentary evidence so long as the documents alone definitively
dispose of plaintiffs' claims (see Blonder & Co., Inc., supra). The defendants'
documentary evidence must be such that it resolves all factual issues as a matter of law
(see Leon, supra). The inclusion of this contract satisfies neither and, therefore,
such fails to support defendants' request for dismissal.
Moreover, oral argument on the instant motion at page 17, lines 9 - 21, seems to
[*10]contradict the defendants' position:
Again, Americare has complete control over them and Future Care, again,
provides their insurance, makes sure they are certified. Future Care hires and trains them,
orients them" [emphasis added]."
It would seem from the plain language above that "them," "their"and, "they" all
pertain to the home health aides who. According to this quote, appear to be under the
control of both of these defendants.
Accordingly, as the submitted exhibit fails to satisfy the standard under CPLR 3211
(a)(1), those branches requesting dismissal of all claims as against defendants Americare
and Kleinman are denied at this time and such claims shall continue.
Defendants offer an undated "Letter of Commitment" from Meadow Park
Rehabilitation and Health Care Center (Meadow Park) offering the full time position of
Assistant Administrator to Dreifus with a "Date of Hire" of November 25, 2009 and an
"Actual Start Date" of November 25, 2009. Additionally, defendants offer a computer
printout of weekly pay check listings from Meadow Park, to Dreifus, beginning
December 9, 2009 and continuing for approximately 14 pages until February 21, 2013.
Relying on these submissions, defendants contend that:
As plaintiffs correctly point out in their opposition, Dreifus was employed during a
[*11]portion of the alleged "class period" and Moreno's
employment period. A review of these submissions fails to provide any evidence of
Dreifus' relationship with Future Care, despite counsel's opinion as above cited.
The standard for dismissal is clear and, to the extent that the defendants' seek
dismissal of all claims against Dreifus based solely on these two exhibits, these
submissions not only fail to definitively dispose of plaintiffs' claims (see Blonder &
Co., Inc., supra) but the letter and check listing do not even address Dreifus'
responsibilities while at Future Care, serving only to establish that in late 2009, Meadow
Park placed Dreifus on its payroll. Nothing within the four-corners of the submission
establishes the extent of Dreifus' responsibilities nor absolves him of any potential
liability in the underlying action. Accordingly, as the exhibits fail to satisfy defendants'
burden herein, that branch requesting dismissal of all claims as against defendant
Dreifus, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(1), is denied at this time and such claims shall
continue. Branches of Defendants' Motion Seeking Dismissal
of Plaintiffs' Class Action
Therefore, to the extent this court may dismiss one or more causes of action within
this decision, such dismissal shall nullify the plaintiffs' right to seek class certification as
to such "dismissed claims." With regard to all surviving causes of action, the defendants'
request for dismissal of the class action claims are premature at this time and thus denied.
The plaintiffs must first be allowed to conduct limited preclass discovery so as to
determine whether the prerequisites of a class action may be satisfied (see Rodriguez,
supra). In accordance with this court's short - form order dated June 13, 2013, the
plaintiffs' time to move for class certification is extended for 90 days from the date of this
decision resolving the instant motion.
CPLR 3211(a)(7) provides that, "A party may move for judgment dismissing one or
more causes of action asserted against him on the ground that the pleading fails to state a
cause of action." In determining whether a complaint is sufficient to withstand a motion
pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a) (7), "the sole criterion is whether the pleading states a cause
of action, and if from its four corners factual allegations are discerned which taken
together manifest any cause of action cognizable at law a motion for dismissal will fail"
(Guggenheimer at 275). The court must accept as true the facts alleged in the
complaint and afford the plaintiff the benefit of every possible favorable inference in
determining whether the complaint states any legally cognizable cause of action (see International Shoppes v
Spencer, 34 AD3d 429 [2006] Schenkman v New York Coll. of Health Professionals, 29
AD3d 671, 672 [2006] Dye v Catholic Med. Ctr. of Brooklyn & Queens,
273 AD2d 193 [2000]). The court "is not concerned with determinations of fact or the
likelihood of success on the merits" (Detmer v Acampora, 207 AD2d 477
[1994] citing Stukuls v State of New York, 42 NY2d 272, 275 [1977]).
"Whether a plaintiff can ultimately establish its allegations is not part of the calculus in
determining a motion to dismiss" (EBCI, Inc. v Goldman Sachs & Co., 5 NY3d 11, 19
[2005]). Although a complaint may be inartfully drawn, illogical or even informal, it will
be deemed to allege whatever can be implied from its statements "by fair and reasonable
intendment" (Shields v School of Law, Hofstra Univ., 77 AD2d 867, 868 [1980]
quoting Lupinski v Village of Ilion, 59 AD2d 1050 [1977]). However,
"allegations consisting of bare legal conclusions as well as factual claims flatly
contradicted by documentary evidence are not entitled to any such consideration" (Garber v Board of Trustees of State
Univ. of NY, 38 AD3d 833, 834 [2007], quoting Maas v Cornell Univ.,
94 NY2d 87, 91 [1999]).
In assessing a motion under CPLR 3211(a)(7) however, a court may freely consider
affidavits submitted by the plaintiff to remedy any defects in the complaint (see
Rovello v Orofino Realty Co., 40 NY2d 633, 635 [1976]). As to affidavits submitted
by the defendant, they will almost never warrant dismissal under CPLR 3211, unless they
"establish [*13]conclusively that [plaintiff] has no [claim
or] cause of action" (Lawrence
v Graubard Miller, 11 NY3d 588, 595 [2008]). "Thus, the court may not rely on
facts alleged by defendants to defeat the claims unless the evidence demonstrates the
absence of any significant dispute regarding those facts and completely negates the
allegations against the moving defendants" (Krause v Lancer & Loader Group, LLC, 40 Misc 3d 385
[2013] citing Lawrence, supra). "Unless it has been shown that a material fact as
claimed by the [plaintiffs] to be one is not a fact at all and unless it can be said that no
significant dispute exists regarding it ... dismissal should not eventuate"
(Guggenheimer at 275; see Woss, LLC v 218 Eckford, LLC, 102 AD3d 860
[2013] Sokol v Leader, 74
AD3d 1180, 1182 [2010]).
1. Unpaid wages and unpaid overtime wages
Defendants seek dismissal alleging, initially, that the complaint lacks sufficient
specificity. Within their moving papers, defendants allege, among other things:
Nakahata was one of four related cases initially dismissed in a single
decision because, among other reasons, the complaints lacked sufficient specificity.
Nakahata, alone, named 35 specific defendants while all four related cases
alleged putative class actions against hundreds of named defendants and related entities.
All four complaints were similar in their generic quality and none alleged, among other
things, which entities were which plaintiffs' employers, what were the approximate hours
worked in excess of 40 in a given work week, how many hours were allegedly unpaid
nor, when such unpaid wages were earned. In stark contrast, the instant matter currently
involves two plaintiffs, Moreno and Peguero-Tineo and, two alleged employing company
defendants, Future Care and Americare. As confirmed by both the service contract and
defense counsel at oral argument,[FN3] Future Care was tasked with tracking
all of the hours worked by its aides in the service of Americare and reporting such hours
to Americare. It is therefore understandable that either one or both of these defendants
has the direct time and wage evidence necessarily lacking in the moving papers.
[*15] Moreover, in the time since defendants
submitted the instant motion, Nakahata has been affirmed in part, vacated in part,
and remanded by Nakahata v New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, Inc.,
723 F3d 192 [2d Cir 2013]. On appeal, the court held:
In addressing the defendants' contentions:
"THE COURT: Who takes care of the hours?
Alternatively, defendants argue that the plaintiffs' unpaid wage and overtime wage
claims are without merit as: "[F]latrate pay for overnight "live in" home health aides is
not per se impermissible and complies with applicable law. As such, Plaintiffs'
allegations do not state a cause of action for unpaid wages or overtime," 2. Unpaid "spread of hours" wages
The defendants' request to dismiss this claim based upon a lack of sufficient
specificity is denied as the plaintiffs have sufficiently pled their claim for unpaid spread
of hours wages based upon the reasoning set forth in the previous section. In the
alternative, defendants argue:
3. Unpaid time spent in mandatory training sessions
Defendants allege that, "claims alleging wages due for time spent in training sessions
are not actionable under New York law and must be dismissed." In support of this
contention, defendants cite to Hinterberger v Catholic Health, 2008 WL
5114258[WD NY, Nov. 25, 2008, No. 08-CV-380S], and Truelove v
Northeast Capital & Advisory, 95 NY2d 220 [2000].
Defendants rely on Hinterberger for the following:
However, as plaintiffs' correctly point out, Hinterberger, upon motions to
reconsider by both plaintiffs and defendants, was amended with the court deciding as
follows:
"Under the NYLL, employers must notify employees of their rate of pay at the time
of hire, and of any amendments thereafter. NY Lab. Law § 195 (McKinney 2009).
Wages for all "labor or services rendered" must be paid to the employee within the time
specified by statute and/or the Commissioner of Labor. Id. §§ 190(a), 191. If
the employer fails to make timely payment, an employee can seek to recover unpaid or
underpaid wages (article six), and unpaid overtime for hours worked in excess of forty
per week (article 19 and 12 NYCCRR 142—2.2) . . .
[*20] In short, regardless of the existence of any
contract between Catholic Health and its employees, Plaintiffs have a statutory right to
the recovery they seek here"
Truelove involved a plaintiff who, while employed with defendants, was
awarded a bonus payment, the unpaid balance of which he sought after resigning his
position. The court held that the bonus payments were not "wages" within the meaning of
the NYLL thus, the plaintiff was not entitled to same after he terminated his employment.
As a result, Truelove is completely distinguished from the instant matter, on the
facts, as the decision does not address the defendants contentions, to wit, that the
plaintiffs have no statutory right to seek payment for "in service" training sessions
performed at Future Care's offices. Based on the foregoing, that branch of defendants'
motion seeking to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims for unpaid time spent in mandatory
training sessions is denied at this time and such claims shall continue.
B. Branch to dismiss plaintiffs' claim for defendants' failure to pay wages when
due.
The defendants seek dismissal of this claim on two fronts, that the "the factual
allegations of the Complaint do not state a cause of action for unpaid wages or overtime"
and, "[p]laintiffs may not proceed on a class action based on violations of NYLL Article
6 pursuant to CPLR 901(b) and Plaintiffs do not meet the requirements of CPLR 901(a)."
As the court has held above, the plaintiffs have adequately stated claims for unpaid
wages and, to the extent that the plaintiffs' claims survive the instant motion, any request
for dismissal prior to the plaintiff formally moving for class certification is premature at
this time and denied as well. Accordingly, that branch of defendants' motion seeking to
dismiss the plaintiffs' claims for defendants' failure to pay wages when due is denied and
such claims shall continue.
To the extent that the plaintiffs' claim the defendants have failed to pay "wages under
the [Wage Parity Act]" (PHL § 3614-c), the defendants seek to dismiss all such
claims for failures occurring prior to the Act's enactment.
PHL § 3614-c (3)(a) reads, in pertinent part:
PHL § 3614-c (3)(b) reads, in pertinent part:
D. Branch to dismiss plaintiffs' claims alleging unreimbursed
uniform laundering expenses and supply purchases.
Defendants seek dismissal of these claims under essentially three arguments: (1) that
"if you play around with the numbers you don't know if there is a violation," (2)
that the plaintiffs received a stipend of $30.00 per month pursuant to the CBA and, (3)
had such a provision not been included within the CBA, the plaintiffs' income exceeded
the statutory [*22]threshold rendering such payments
inapplicable [pursuant to 12 NYCRR 142-2.5(c)].
In support of the instant request, defense counsel testified at oral argument as
follows:
Within their second argument, defendants allege that "[p]laintiffs did receive a
maintenance allowance of $30.00 per month pursuant to their Collective Bargaining
Agreement," defendants rely on an excerpted portion of the CBA (Exhibit "C" to the
Schlesinger affidavit). As held in the Court's 3211 (a) (1) analysis above, this submission
fails to resolve all factual issues as a matter of law (see Leon, supra) in that the
exhibit itself does not conclusively prove that such stipend, while permitted, was actually
paid to the plaintiffs.
Based upon the foregoing, it is not necessary for the court to analyze the defendants'
third prong, to wit, whether such payments are required by 12 NYCRR 142-2.5(c). By
the defendants' own admission, such payments were owed under the CBA and
defendants' motion lacks any direct evidence such payments were made. The absence of
such direct evidence of payment creates an open question of whether defendants are in
breach of the CBA. Plaintiffs' complaint alleges that these payments were not made and,
"[u]nless it has been shown that a material fact as claimed by the [plaintiffs] to be one is
not a fact at all and unless it can be said that no significant dispute exists regarding it ...
dismissal should not eventuate" (Guggenheimer at 275). Accordingly, those
branches of defendants' motion seeking to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims alleging
unreimbursed uniform laundering expenses and supply purchases are denied and such
claims shall continue.
Defendants seek dismissal of these claims alleging, among other things,
plaintiffs fail to properly state a cause of action. To wit:
However, the Wage Parity Act reads, in relevant part:
However, while the Wage Parity Act has provided a basis for a cause of action for
breach of contract, the Act has, similarly, limited same. Pursuant to the court's prior
analysis of the enactment dates, Moreno is the only named plaintiff able to allege claims
under the Wage Parity Act. It follows, therefore, that Moreno is the only named plaintiff
able to assert a cause of action for breach of contract under the Wage Parity Act as well.
Accordingly, that branch of defendants' motion seeking to dismiss the plaintiffs' cause of
action for breach of contract is granted only to the extent that any claims for
breach of contract, alleged by Peguero-Tineo, are dismissed. Claims for breach of
contract, alleged by Moreno, shall continue only to the extent same accrued after
enactment of the Wage Parity Act. Further, in accordance with this decision, such
dismissal shall nullify the plaintiffs' right to seek class certification as to such "dismissed
claims" since, as a matter of law, no basis for class action relief is available on a claim
that no longer exists (see Downing at 89, quoting Wojciechowski at
831).
G. Branch to dismiss plaintiffs' unjust enrichment claims.
Within this branch, defendants opine that, Plaintiffs wrongly included "Esan Dresus"
as a defendant, alleging that "[i]t appears. . .that Plaintiffs intended to name Ethan
Dreifus but were uncertain of the individual's name and used two alternate spellings."
Defendants further contend that, "there is no record of an Esan Dresus' having ever been
employed in any capacity with the defendant organizations." As a result, defendants have
requested that the name "Esan Dresus" be stricken from the caption and that all
allegations regarding "Esan Dresus" be dismissed.
"Esan Dresus," whether an actual or fictitious individual, is a named defendant in
this action whose existence, at this early stage of litigation, has yet to be investigated.
Since counsel does not represent this "individual" and absent direct evidence that this
"individual" is indeed erroneously named in this action, that branch of defendants'
motion seeking to dismiss the claims against "Esan Dresus" is denied at this time and the
caption shall remain as appears above. To recapitulate:
1.That branch of the defendants' motion requesting dismissal pursuant to CPLR 3211
(a)(1) is denied;
2.Those branches of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(1),
requesting dismissal of all claims as against Kleinman, Americare and, Dreifus, in
reliance of "documentary" evidence are denied in their entirety and all claims shall
continue;
3.That branch of the defendants' motion seeking dismissal of the plaintiffs'
5.That branch of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7), requesting
dismissal of plaintiffs claim that the defendants failed to pay wages when due is
[*27] 6.That branch of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7),
7.Those branches of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7),
requesting dismissal of the plaintiffs' claims for unreimbursed uniform laundering
expenses and failure to reimburse for supplies purchased are denied and all such claims
shall continue;
8.That branch of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7), requesting
dismissal of plaintiffs' claim that the defendants failed to comply with notification and
record maintenance requirements is denied and such claims shall continue;
9.That branch of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7), requesting
dismissal of the plaintiffs' breach of contract claims is granted only to the extent
that claims for breach of contract alleged by Peguero-Tineo are dismissed. Claims
for breach of contract alleged by Moreno shall continue only to the extent that such
claims accrued after enactment of the Wage Parity Act. Further, in accordance with this
decision, and as summarized directly above, such dismissal shall nullify the plaintiffs'
right to seek class certification as to such "dismissed claims" since, as a matter of law, no
basis for class action relief is available on a claim that no longer exists;
10.That branch of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7), requesting
dismissal of plaintiffs' unjust enrichment claims is denied and same shall continue to the
extent such claims have not been dismissed as a result of the inapplicability of the Wage
Parity Act in accordance with this decision and as summarized directly above;
11.That branch of the defendants' motion requesting dismissal of all claims as
against "Esan Dresus" is denied at this time.The court, having considered the defendants'
remaining contentions, finds them to be without merit in light of the above analysis. All
relief not expressly granted herein is denied.
The foregoing constitutes the decision, order and, judgment of the court.
E N T E R,
J. S. C.
COUNT I - Defendants' violation of NYLL Article 19, with regard to unpaid
wages; unpaid overtime wages; unpaid time spent in mandatory training sessions;
defendants' mandating that employees must purchase their own supplies without
reimbursement;
COUNT II - Violation of NYLL Articles 6 and 19, for unpaid "spread of
hours" wages;
COUNT III - Violation of NYLL Articles 6, for defendants' failure to pay
wages when due;
COUNT IV - Violation of NYLL Articles 19 and 12 NYCRR §
142-2.5(c), for defendants' failure to pay additional amounts for laundering of required
uniforms;
COUNT V - Violation of NYLL §§195, 661 and 12 NYCRR
§ 142-2.6 for defendants' failure to comply with notification requirements and to
maintain records;
COUNT VI - breach of contract;
COUNT VII - unjust enrichment for defendants' failure to pay all wages due,
including wages for overtime, minimum wages under the New York Health Care Worker
Wage Parity Act and, "spread of hours" wages.
Exhibit "A":A submission titled "Policy on hours worked by Live-In Aides."
Exhibit "B":A March 11, 2010 correspondence from the New York State
Department of Labor (DOL) regarding "Request for Opinion, Live-In Companions,
RO-09-0169."
Exhibit "C":Pages one and nine of the CBA between Local 373 National
Amalgamated Workers Union and Future Care Health Services.
Exhibit "D":A "Services Contract" with three attached addenda, between
Americare and Future Care covering the period of January 1, 2011 through and ending
December 31, 2011.
Defendants further submit, as exhibits to Dreifus' affidavit, the following:
Exhibit "A":An undated "Letter of Commitment" from Meadow Park
Rehabilitation and Health Care Center (Meadow Park) offering the full time position of
Assistant Administrator to Dreifus.
Exhibit "B":What appear to be weekly pay "check listings" for Dreifus, from
Meadow Park, beginning December 9, 2009 and continuing for approximately 14 pages
until February 21, 2013.
Branches of Defendants' Motion Seeking Dismissal
Pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(1)
A. Exhibit "A" to Schlesinger's Affirmation: "Policy on hours worked
by [*7]Live-In Aides."
B. Exhibit "B"to Schlesinger's Affirmation: DOL Correspondence.
"[t]herefore, a live-in employee is required to be paid "spread of hours"
pay for all days in which he or she works as a live-in employee since such
employee is deemed to work, at a minimum under the rubric described above, thirteen
hours per day" [emphasis added].
"In interpreting these provisions, it is the
opinion and policy of this Department that live-in employees must be paid not less
than for thirteen hours per twenty-four hour period provided that they are afforded at
least eight hours for sleep and actually receive five hours of uninterrupted sleep, and that
they are afforded three hours for meals. If an aide does not receive five hours of
uninterrupted sleep, the eight hour sleep exclusion is inapplicable and the employee
must be paid for all eight hours. Similarly, if the aide is not actually afforded three
work-free hours for meals, the three-hour meal period exclusion is not
applicable"[emphasis added].
As a result, the submission does not establish that a day is thirteen hours
long. The submission establishes that the relevant aides must be paid for no less than
thirteen hours if same are "live-in. This is a dramatically different interpretation than
that the defendants proffer. The submission goes on further to state
that,
"The employees described in your letter are required
to be paid not less than one and one half times the minimum wage rate for all hours
workedin excess of forty hours per work week should such individuals be non-residential
employees, and forty-four hours per work week should they be residential
employees" [emphasis added].
Such a statement seems to clearly imply that for "live-in" aides, in
contravention of the defendants' position, overtime wages are due and owing after
completing their forty-fourth hour of work in a given work week. By virtue of the
foregoing discussion, this submission too fails to qualify as "documentary evidence"
(Rabos, supra; Fontanetta, supra) as a result of the plethora of ancillary
information required to ascertain its application to the parties herein. Because such
additional information is not contained within the document (see Blonder & Co,
supra) same fails to resolve any factual issues (see Leon, supra) and
actually creates additional issues not addressed within the defendants'
motion.
C. Exhibit "C" to Schlesinger's Affirmation:
Excerpt from the CBA.
D. Exhibit "D" to Schlesinger's Affirmation: "Services Contract"
between Americare and Future Care.
1. Branches of defendants' motion seeking dismissal of all claims as
against Kleinman and Americare.
"MR. SCHLESINGER: . . . It would be a situation if I needed a home health
aid, I would call Americare and say I need a home health aid because Americare
represents the people that require the services and Americare contracts with Future Care
and Future Care provides home health aids to Americare's clients.
E. Exhibits "A" and "B" to Dreifus' Affidavit: Letter of Commitment
from Meadow Park and purported pay "check listing" from same.
"Dreifus was an administrative employee of Future Care who left the employ
of Future Care in 2009. As can be seen from Mr. Dreifus' affidavit, he was not employed
during or after May 2011, which is the date the Plaintiffs allege is the first violation of
the wage laws. As such, there is no allegation in the Complaint that any violation of the
law occurred during Mr. Dreifus' time at Future Care. As such, all claims against Mr.
Dreifus must be dismissed."
At oral argument on the instant motion, defense counsel sought to bolster
this contention at page 15, lines 14-23, as follows:
"MR. SCHLESINGER: The third argument to keep things quick is that our
position is that, first of all, Dreifus, who is a named individual, named defendant, he was
the Administrator of Future Care. We have an affidavit from him he left Future Care in
2009 besides the fact he didn't have supervisory responsibilities required, the
controllability to hire and fire, to discipline" [emphasis added].
1. Branch of defendants' motion seeking dismissal of all claims as against
Dreifus.
CPLR § 902 states, in relevant part:
"Within sixty days after the time to serve a responsive pleading has expired
for all persons named as defendants in an action brought as a class action, the plaintiff
shall move for an order to determine whether it is to be so maintained. An order under
this section may be conditional, and may be altered or amended before the decision on
the merits on the court's own motion or on motion of the parties. The action may be
maintained as a class action only if the court finds that the prerequisites under section
901 have been satisfied."
"In order to determine if the requirements set forth in CPLR 901 are met, and
to assess the considerations listed in CPLR 902, limited discovery must be conducted
(Katz v NVF Co., 100 AD2d 470, 474 [1984]). Preclass discovery allows the
plaintiffs "to determine whether the prerequisites of a class action . . .may be satisfied"
(Rodriguez v Metro. Cable
Communications, 79 AD3d 841[2010]). Indeed, "[t]he purpose of preclass
certification discovery is to ascertain the dimensions of the group of individuals who
share plaintiffs' grievance" (Id.). However:"[I]t has also been held that a motion
to dismiss may be made before a motion to determine the propriety of the class and a
hearing under CPLR 902 where it appears conclusively from the complaint and from the
affidavits that there was as a matter of law no basis for class action relief"
(Wojciechowski v. Republic Steel Corp., 67 AD2d 830, 831, 413 N.Y.S.2d 70 [4th Dept.
1979), lv. dismissed 47 NY2d 802 [1979] )"
(Downing v First
Lenox Terrace Assoc., 107 AD3d 86, 89 [2013].
The First Department's reliance on the holding in Wojciechowski has
yet to be addressed by the Second Department, therefore, such holding is binding upon
this Supreme Courts of this department. As a result, while the defendants' challenge to
class action status may be held to [*12]be premature at
this stage, Downing dictates that should a cause of action be dismissed pursuant
to a CPLR 3211 motion, no claim for class action status may survive if no such cause of
action may be had.
Branches of Defendants' Motion Seeking Dismissal
Pursuant to CPLR 3211 (a)(7):
A. Branch seeking to dismiss plaintiffs' unpaid wages, unpaid overtime
wages, unpaid time spent in mandatory training sessions and, unpaid "spread of hours"
wage claims.
"Plaintiffs have done little more than assert in a vague and conclusory
manner that they were improperly paid over a certain period of time. . ."
"These allegations do
nothing more than state a conclusion that Defendants violated the law. They do not allege
the number of hours worked, the rate of pay or whether the rate of pay failed to meet
statutory requirements."
The following statements, made during oral argument on the instant motion,
further illustrate the defendants' position:
Page 5, lines13-24"MR. SCHLESINGER: One of the claims, plaintiff claims
one hundred hours a week and 80 hours a week. It is conclusory and a vacation claim.
If you do the amount, for instance, five days, there would be no
violation under the law. You can see it in our brief.
If the other plaintiff worked six or seven days and 80 hours, there
is no violation. They fail to state a cause of action so they don't say how many days
they worked a week" [emphasis added].
Page 6, lines:16-19"MR. SCHLESINGER: They don't plead how many days
they worked. You don't know if there is a violation. If they worked five days a week,
there might not be [a] violation. We don't know" [emphasis added].
In support, defendants cite James v Countrywide Financial Corp.,
849 F Supp 2d 296, 321 [*14][EDNY 2012] and,
Nakahata v New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System, Inc., 2011 WL 321186
[SDNY 2011]. The defendants' citation to James reads as follows:
"Although plaintiff has identified a fourteen-month time period during
which he was allegedly not properly paid overtime compensation, he has failed to include
other factual allegations necessary to sustain his FLSA and NYLL claim. . . Plaintiff has
done little more than assert, in vague and conclusory manner, his entitlement to overtime
compensation under the FLSA and NYLL, and this is insufficient to withstand a motion
to dismiss"
(James v Countrywide Financial Corp., 849 F Supp 2d 296, 321
[EDNY 2012]).
However, a closer reading of the complete text yields pertinent language that
was redacted from the above citation. Specifically, the following language from the court
appears in place of the ellipse, inserted above:
"[The plaintiff] has not specified the "various" positions he was working in
at the time he was allegedly denied overtime compensation, explained whether those
positions were, in fact, exempt, or set forth the number of hours he allegedly worked
without overtime compensation"
(James v Countrywide Financial Corp., 849 F Supp 2d 296, 321
[EDNY 2012]).
In contrast to the plaintiff in James, plaintiffs herein had only one
position, home health care aide. Further, if the DOL's "opinion" letter (Exhibit "B" to the
Schlesinger affidavit) were applicable, as defendants' contend, then the plaintiffs were
also eligible to receive overtime pay. Additionally, plaintiffs herein allege that they
regularly worked 60 to 80 hours per work week during a time period specific.
/Distinguished on the facts, James offers little support for the instant request.
"We affirm in part the District Court's decision and remand in part. We
affirm the dismissal, with prejudice, of the FLSA gap-time, RICO, and certain common
law claims. We also affirm the dismissal of the FLSA and NYLL overtime claims, but
we remand these claims with leave to replead. We reserve judgment on the dismissal of
the NYLL gap-time claims and remand for reconsideration. Finally, we vacate the
dismissal of certain common law claims and remand with leave to replead."
In accordance with the appellate decision, if, for argument's sake,
Nakahata were analogous to the instant action, dismissal of the complaint would
no longer result on the facts as stated therein and leave to re-plead would be warranted.
"[T]he test to be applied is whether the complaint gives sufficient notice of
the transactions, occurrences, or series of transactions or occurrences intended to be
proved and whether the requisite elements of any cause of action known to our law can
be discerned from its averments' (Moore v Johnson, 147 AD2d 621, 621 [1989],
quoting Pace v Perk, 81 AD2d 444, 449 [1981] see Conroy v Cadillac
Fairview Shopping Ctr. Props. [Md.], 143 AD2d 726 [1988])"
(JP Morgan Chase
v J.H. Elec. of NY, Inc., 69 AD3d 802, 803 [2010] see CPLR
3013).
A review of the complaint yields the following allegations:
(1) Both plaintiffs worked for the defendants providing home health care
services caring for elderly and infirm clients;
(2) From May 2011 until July 2012 when her employment with the
defendants ended, Moreno continued to perform the same work for the same clients
except that she was reclassified as a "live-in" aide and her "hourly" status was changed to
a "flat-rate"status of $120 then $115 per day;
(3) From May 2011 until August 2011 when her employment with the
defendants ended, Peguero-Tineo continued to perform the same work for the same
clients except that she was reclassified as a "live-in" aide and her "hourly" status was
changed to a "flat-rate"status of $120 then $115 per day;
(4) That the classification of "live-in" aide was incorrect as the plaintiffs did
not live in the client's residence nor are they "exempt companions;"
[*16]
(5) Upon reclassification, both plaintiffs
received the same flat-rate amount regardless of how many hours they worked;
(6) During the above period (approximately sixteen months and four months
respectively) the plaintiffs regularly worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, up to 80
hours a week, and Defendants did not fully compensate them for those hours at the
mandatory overtime rate of one and one half times the minimum wage;
(7) Plaintiffs were required to complete in-service training sessions at Future
Care's office and that Defendants did not pay any wages for the time spent in such
training;
(8) Plaintiffs required to pay for supplies and laundering expenses for the
required uniforms without reimbursement for such expenses;
(9) Plaintiffs regularly worked a spread of hours that exceeded 10 hours or a
shift in excess of 10 hours but were not paid an extra hour's wages as required.
Further, oral argument on the instant motion reveals the following: Page 17,
line 22 through page 18, line 3:
MR. SCHLESINGER: Future Care. Future Care, as a matter of fact,
Future Care provides in the contract, provides a statement to Americare of the
hours."
Page 17, lines 18-21 "MR. SCHLESINGER:
Future Care, again, provides
their insurance, makes sure they are certified. Future Care hires and trains
them, orients them."
Accepting as true the facts alleged in the
complaint and affording the plaintiffs the benefit of every possible favorable inference,
the court finds that the complaint contains sufficient specificity to place these
defendants on notice of the series of transactions or occurrences intended to be proved
(see Moore, supra). By the defendants own admission, Future Care has, or should
have, all pay and time records for these two plaintiffs and, had defendants actually
provided any of these, may very well have earned dismissal pursuant to CPLR 3211
(a)(1). Considering the unambiguous language of the service contract as well as defense
counsel's admission, to wit, that Future Care provides a statement of the hours worked to
Americare, the court finds the defendants' use of speculative and arbitrary numbers to
provide calculations purporting to support their position to be merit less and unnecessary.
Although a complaint may be inartfully drawn, illogical or even informal, it will be
deemed to allege whatever can be implied from its statements "by fair and reasonable
intendment" (see Shields, supra). As a result, the court finds defendants'
allegations that the complaint [*17]lacks sufficient
specificity to be without foundation.
* * *
"These allegations, on their own, do not state a cause of action for unpaid
wages or overtime because it is not improper or illegal to pay an employee a fixed daily
rate provided that the fixed rate of pay, when calculated on an hourly basis, exceeds
statutory minimums. See, e.g., NYLL Sec. 195(l)(a) (specifically referring to rate of pay "
by the hour, shift, day, week, salary, piece, commission, or other... " ); See also Seraphin
v. TomKats, Inc., 2013 WL 940914 (E.D.NY,2013)."
* * *
"Plaintiff Moreno alleges simply that she worked as much as 60 hours per
week and was paid $115 per day during " live in" shifts. This does not, on its face, state
any violation of New York law because the flat rate compensated Plaintiff Moreno in
excess of statutory minimums and satisfied statutory requirements. For example, if
Plaintiff Moreno worked 60 hours in a 5 day week, she would have been entitled to no
less than $543.85 under NYLL. Because Plaintiff Moreno was paid no less than $115 per
day, she would have earned $575.00 on such a week, well in excess of the statutory
minimum."
Defendants' argument presupposes and relies upon the material allegation
that the plaintiffs were "live-in" aides. Plaintiffs, however, contend that this allegation is
false since neither actually lived in the patient's residence. Defendants make no argument
refuting the plaintiffs' contentions thus leaving this material issue in dispute which, in
and of itself would preclude dismissal (see Guggenheimer, supra). However,
assuming for the sake of argument that this issue was resolved, defendants' reliance
onNYLL § 195(l)(a) and Seraphin v TomKats, Inc., (2013 WL 940914
[EDNY 2013]), offer no support for defendants, thereby, necessitating the same result.
NYLL § 195(1)(a) is a notice statute proscribing the specific information employees
must receive from employers, thus, wholly irrelevant to the defendants' conclusory
premise above. Regarding Seraphin, the court stated that the FLSA "permits the
use of a daily rate that includes an overtime premium for daily hours in excess of 8
[hours]" and "the FLSA permits defendants to credit the hours worked at this premium
rate towards the statutory overtime compensation required for hours worked in excess of
40 [hours]." However, the defendants in Seraphin did more than merely state the
conclusion, as defendants have herein, the court recounts the following which
distinguishes this authority [*18]from the instant matter:
"Defendants have produced hundreds of plaintiff's records. His time sheets
indicate his hours worked, his daily rate, and additional overtime pay for hours beyond
12 or 14. See generally Morales Aff., Ex. B. Where additional overtime pay was
awarded, the time sheets indicate the amount of overtime hours and overtime pay. See,
e.g., Morales Aff., Ex. B, at 000355, 000372, 000479. The computerized versions of
plaintiff's weekly pay records list his daily rate, as well as his hourly rate and his overtime
rate. See, e.g., Morales Aff., Ex. B, at 000359, 000489, 000540. The records also
indicate payments received at his hourly rate when he worked only partial days. See, e.g.,
Morales Aff., Ex. B, at 000371, 000489. Although the records do not expressly state the
breakdown between hours paid at the regular rate and hours paid at the 1.5 overtime rate
within the fixed daily rate, the listed rates clearly corroborate defendants' explanation of
the breakdown of the daily rate. In other words, defendants' explanation yields an hourly
rate of $11.7647 from 2006 to 2010, and an hourly rate of $14.2857 starting in late 2010.
The hourly rates on the records match these hourly rates, and the overtime rates on the
records are multiples (either 1.5 or 2.0) of these hourly rates."
As a result of the defendants' failure to offer any direct evidence of time or
wage records, defendants can find no support under this authority. Accordingly, those
branches of defendants' motion seeking to dismiss the plaintiffs' unpaid wage and
overtime wage claims are denied at this time and such claims shall continue.
"Indeed, it would appear that Plaintiffs were properly compensated under 12
NYCRR § 142 as the "live in" rate sufficiently exceeded the statutory minimum
rendering the "spread of hours " premium inapplicable. See Sosnowy v. A. Perri Farms,
Inc., 764 F.Supp.2d 457, 474 (E.D.NY,2011)."
Sosnowy holds that:
"Based on the Court's own reading of the statute, the Court agrees with the
cases that find that the explicit reference to the minimum wage' in section
142—2.4 indicates that the spread-of-hours provision is properly limited to
enhancing the compensation of those receiving only the minimum required by law' "
(Sosnowy at 474).
However, Sosnowy also states, in the very next paragraph:
"Whether this dismissal is without prejudice to the Plaintiff's right to amend
this claim is dependent on whether the Court takes into consideration the
W—2 forms that the Defendants [*19]attached to
the Perry Declaration. These W—2 forms show that for the years 2007, 2008, and
2009 the Plaintiff was paid at a rate significantly higher than minimum wage"
(Sosnowy at 474 [emphasis added]).
Unlike Sosnowy, and most of defendants' cited authority, defendants
herein offer no wage or time evidence of any kind. The Sosnowy court had ample
evidence establishing the plaintiffs' rate of pay and, as a result, held as stated above. As
this court has previously discussed, the defendants have offered only suppositions and
arbitrary estimates of hours worked in order to provide calculations purporting to support
their position. As the movant. The defendants must provide evidence in support of their
position. To this end, defendants offer no competent time or wage evidence for the
plaintiffs during the period they were classified as "live-in" aides. Without such proof
establishing the precisely how many hours were worked under this status, defendants'
allegation that $115 or $120 per day "sufficiently exceeded the statutory minimum" is
rendered baseless and conclusory. As a result of this deficiency, defendants' reliance on
Sosnowy is misplaced. Consequently, that branch of defendants' motion seeking
to dismiss the plaintiffs' "spread of hours" claims is denied at this time and such claims
shall continue.
"In other words, there is no state-based, statutory right to be paid for such
hours. Therefore, to the extent that Plaintiffs' NYLL claims-for unpaid wages and
overtime-rest on allegations of unpaid preliminary and postliminary work, and unpaid
training time, Plaintiffs' NYLL claims are not "independent" of the CBA. As a result,
Plaintiffs' NYLL claims based on such allegations will require substantial interpretation
of the CBA and are therefore preempted" (Hinterberger v Catholic Health, 2008
WL 5114258, *6 [internal citations omitted]).
(Hinterberger v Catholic Health, 2009 WL 4042718, *3 [WD NY,
Nov. 19, 2009, No. 08—CV—380S]).
As amended, the defendants' reliance on Hinterberger appears
misplaced and the authority tends now to support the plaintiffs' right of action herein.
C. Branch to dismiss plaintiffs' claims resting upon violation of
the Wage Parity Act.
"The minimum rate of home care aide total compensation in a city with a
population of one [*21]million or more shall be:
(I) for the period March first, two thousand twelve through
February twenty-eighth, two thousand thirteen, ninety percent of the total compensation
mandated by the living wage law of such city. . ." (emphasis
added)
"The minimum rate of home care aide total compensation in the counties of
Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester shall be:
(I) for the period March first, two thousand thirteen through
February twenty-eighth, two thousand fourteen, ninety percent of the total compensation
mandated by the living wage law as set on March first, two thousand thirteen of a city
with a population of a million or more. . ." (emphasis
added).
Further, during oral argument, plaintiffs' counsel
averred at page 47, lines 18-21:
"MS SPANIER: Ms. Moreno is alleging that claim [under the Wage Parity
Act]. Ms Peguero does not because defendants are correct that she indeed left before the
Wage [Parity] Act kicked in."
Accordingly, as Moreno is the sole plaintiff alleging claims hereunder, this
branch of defendants' motion is granted only to the extent that any such claims
alleged to have accrued "in a city with a population of one million or more" on or before
February 29, 2012 [FN4] are dismissed. As it is undisputed that
both plaintiffs separated from employment, prior to February 28, 2013 - the effective
date of PHL 3614-c in the counties of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, any claims
alleged to have occurred in these counties are dismissed in their entirety. Further, in
accordance with this decision, such dismissal shall nullify the plaintiffs' right to seek
class certification as to such "dismissed claims" since, as a matter of law, no basis for
class action relief is available on a claim that no longer exists (see Downing at
89, quoting Wojciechowski at 831).
Page 8, lines 17-23"MR. SCHLESINGER: They are also claiming [a]
uniform allowance. The law says you are entitled to $9 per week in addition to your
weekly paycheck.
Again, if you play around with the numbers you don't know if there is a
violation" [emphasis added].
Page 17, lines 18-21"MR. SCHLESINGER: Future Care, again, provides
their insurance, makes sure they are certified. Future Care hires and trains them, orients
them."
If defense counsel's testimony is accurate, Future Care is the entity who
maintained daily control over the plaintiffs. Despite the plaintiffs' allegations, Future
Care, at a minimum, must have all records necessary to establish which plaintiff worked
where and for how long. It is axiomatic that such information is within the defendants'
control because if it were not, how could defendants accurately pay their employees?
There should be no need to "play around with the numbers," thus, such unsupported and
speculative testimony fails to satisfy defendants' burden on the instant motion and must
be disregarded.
E. Branch to dismiss plaintiffs' claim that defendants' failed to comply
with notification and record maintenance requirements.
[*23]The defendants' argument in
support of dismissing this claim is based solely on the plaintiffs' alleged inability to
maintain class action status. In particular, defendants seek to dismiss this count "as to
unnamed class members by operation of CPLR 901(a) and (b)." Should class action
status be denied, any applicability of this count as to "unnamed class members" would be
rendered moot and, likewise, should class certification be granted, the defendants duty
under this count would apply to any plaintiffs equally. Defendants make no further
argument for dismissal, nor do they articulate an argument for dismissal pursuant to the
3211 (a) (7) standard enumerated above. Therefore, as the defendants request to dismiss
the class certification claims were found premature, those branches of defendants' motion
seeking to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims that defendants failed to comply with notification
and record keeping requirements are denied and such claim shall continue.
F. Branch to dismiss plaintiffs' breach of contract claims.
"To state a claim for breach of contract, the complaint must allege the
existence of a contract, plaintiffs performance, defendant ' s nonperformance, and
resulting damages. Elisa Dreier Reporting Corp. v. Global NAPS Networks, Inc., 84
AD3d 122, 127 (2d Dept. 2011). In an action to recover damages for breach of contract,
the complaint must, inter alia, set forth the terms of the agreement upon which liability is
predicated, either by express reference or by attaching a copy of the contract. Chrysler
Capital Corp. v. Hilltop Egg Farms, Inc., 129 AD2d 927, 514 N.Y.S.2d 1002 (3rd Dept.,
1987)."
The defendants' contentions are unavailing. Plaintiffs contend that their
claims for breach of contract rest upon the wage requirements contained within the Wage
Parity Act. In their opposition, plaintiffs allege:
"As a matter of New York law, the fact that Defendants are statutorily
required to pay a prevailing wage to Plaintiffs and the Class and have promised
government agencies Defendants will pay that prevailing rate under the NY Health Care
Worker Wage Parity Act, NY Public Health Law § 3614-c., means that Plaintiffs
and the Class are third-party beneficiaries of such promise."
In support, plaintiffs cite Cox v NAP Constr. Co., Inc., 10 NY3d 592 [2008], as
follows:
"It cannot be doubted that provisions requiring the contractor to
pay such wages are also inserted in the contract, whether voluntarily or under compulsion
of the statute, for the benefit of the laborers" (id.). We held that "where a valid statute
requires the insertion of provisions intended for the protection of laborers or other groups
in contracts relating to matters which are subject to regulation by the State," a
"contractual obligation is created which may be enforced by action brought by one of the
group for whose benefit the provisions have been inserted" (id. at 406; see also *603
United States ex rel. Johnson v Morley Constr. Co., 98 F2d 781, 788-789 [2d Cir 1938,
L. Hand, J.] [laborers held to be "donee beneficiaries" of a contract that incorporated the
provisions of a statute passed to [*24]protect
them])"
(Cox, 10 NY3d at 602, 603, quoting Fata v S.A. Healy Co.,
289 NY 401 [1943]).
Plaintiffs' similarly cite to Jara v Strong Steel Door, Inc., 20 Misc 3d
1135[A], 2008 NY Slip Op 51733[U] Sup Ct, Kings County 2008], for the proposition
that:
"Labor Law § 220(3) provides that workers on public works contracts
shall be paid not less than the prevailing rate of wages as defined by the locality within
the state where the public work is performed and requires all contracts for public works
to contain a provision stating that each laborer is entitled to such prevailing wages and
defining what those wages are. Where such a provision is incorporated into a public
works contract and a plaintiff alleges the specific provision of the contract requiring
payment of prevailing wages and supplemental benefits, the worker becomes entitled to
sue for those wages as a third-party beneficiary of the contract (Cox v NAP Construction
Co. Inc., NY3d [2008], 2008 WL 2276160 [June 5, 2008] Maldonado v
Olympia Mechanical Piping & Heating Corp., 8 AD3d 348, 350 [2d Dept 2004] Fata v
S.A. Healy Co., 289 NY 401 [1943])."
In opposition, defendants contend that Cox and Jara are inapplicable because
"there is no prevailing wage' applicable to Plaintiffs as they are health care workers
employed by a private company and thus are outside the purview of Labor Law §
220 and § 230."
"PHL 3614-c(1)(c): Prevailing rate of total compensation' means the
average hourly amount of total compensation paid to all home care aides covered by
whatever collectively bargained agreement covers the greatest number of home care
aides in a city with a population of one million or more. For purposes of this definition,
any set of collectively bargained agreements in such city with substantially the same
terms and conditions relating to total compensation shall be considered as a single
collectively bargained agreement.'
PHL 3614-c(2):
Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, rule or regulation, no payments by
government agencies shall be made to certified home health agencies, long term home
health care programs or managed care plans for any episode of care furnished, in whole
or in part, by any home care aide who is compensated at amounts less than the applicable
minimum rate of home care aide total compensation established pursuant to this section."
At oral argument, defense counsel stated at page 19, line 22 through page 20,
line 10:
"MR. SCHLESINGER: They would, Future Care would bill Americare for
the services and Americare, I believe thorough Medicaid would pay for the services
depending on their client's situation.
THE COURT: So Future Care would bill Americare for their services?
MR. SCHLESINGER: Right.
[*25]
THE COURT: Because Americare
basically is ordering the services.
MR. SCHLESINGER: Right, they are ordering them. It is all through
Medicare and Medicaid. It is mostly Medicaid, I believe" [emphasis added].
While consisting of only a small sample, the CBA's existence provides the
support plaintiffs require for their claim. Pursuant to the authority in Cox and
Jara, the plaintiffs, who fall under the ambit of the CBA and are purportedly paid
according to same, are the third-party beneficiaries of any agreement whereby Medicaid,
Medicare, or any other government agency remunerates the defendants for home health
care services rendered by the plaintiffs. The plaintiffs need not, at this juncture, allege the
particulars of the contracts that may have been breached since the plaintiffs' wages must
meet the minimum requirements of the statute enacted to protect them (see Cox
at 602, 603).
Defendants argue that as the plaintiffs cannot assert causes of action for
unpaid wages, they therefore cannot assert causes of action for unjust enrichment as a
matter of law. "To prevail on a claim of unjust enrichment, a party must show that (1) the
other party was enriched, (2) at that party's expense, and (3) that it is against equity and
good conscience to permit the other party to retain what is sought to be recovered (see
Cruz v McAneney, 31 AD3d 54, 59 [2006])"
(Old Republic Natl.
Tit. Ins. Co. v Luft, 52 AD3d 491 [2008]).
Plaintiffs have alleged that they performed their duties in good faith, that the
defendants were compensated for the work performed by the plaintiffs, that the
defendants did not adequately compensate the plaintiffs for the work performed thus
enriching the defendants at the [*26]plaintiffs' expense.
As this court's analysis has determined, the plaintiffs' wage claims have been sufficiently
pled. To the extent that the defendants' request for dismissal rests exclusively on this
argument, that branch of defendants' motion seeking to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims for
unjust enrichment is denied and such claims shall continue, to the extent same have not
been dismissed as a result of the inapplicability of the Wage Parity Act.
Branch of Defendants' Motion Seeking Dismissal of All Claims
as Against as against "Esan Dresus"
class action is denied as premature except that, to the extent this court may
dismiss one or more of plaintiffs' causes of action within this decision, such dismissal
shall nullify the plaintiffs' right to seek class certification as to such "dismissed claims"
since, as a matter of law, no basis for class action relief is available on a claim that no
longer exists.
4.Those branches of the defendants' motion, pursuant to CPLR 3211
(a)(7),
requesting dismissal of the plaintiffs' unpaid wages, unpaid overtime wages,
unpaid "spread of hours" wages and, unpaid time spent in mandatory training sessions
are denied and all such claims shall continue;
denied;
requesting dismissal of plaintiffs claims resting upon violation of the Wage
Parity Act is granted only to the extent that claims alleged by Moreno (the only
plaintiff making claims under the Act) to have accrued "in a city with a population of one
million or more" on or before February 29, 20121 are dismissed. As it is undisputed that
both plaintiffs separated from employment, prior to February 28, 2013 - the effective
date of Wage Parity Act in the counties of Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester, any claims
alleged to have occurred in these counties are dismissed in their entirety. Further, in
accordance with this decision, and as summarized directly above, such dismissal shall
nullify the plaintiffs' right to seek class certification as to such "dismissed claims" since,
as a matter of law, no basis for class action relief is available on a claim that no longer
exists. All remaining claims shall continue;
Footnote 1:Defendants allege that
"Esan Dresus" is sued incorrectly herein as a variation of defendant Dreifus' name. While
this issue will be addressed later within this decision, the court notes that "Esan Dresus"
has not appeared and has no position on the instant motion.
Footnote 2:While the complaint at
paragraph 26 alleges that Moreno began working in December, 2008, paragraph 29
alleges a September 2008 date as the start of her receiving a salary. The papers do not
resolve this discrepancy, nor will same have any impact on the court's decision.
Footnote 3:The actual quote from
defense counsel's oral argument appears later in this decision.
Footnote 4:2012 was a "leap" year,
accounting for the extra day in the month of February.