THE Department of Labor and Immigration has filed a lawsuit against three employers who allegedly refused to pay the unpaid wages of their two former employees.
DOLI has asked the Superior Court to enforce the administrative order it issued against defendants Christopher A. Castro, Dionne A. Castro and Margarita A. Castro.
DOLI, through Assistant Attorney General Andrew Clayton, filed the petition to enforce the administrative order against the defendants for their alleged refusal to pay the unpaid wages of Marilyn Aquino and Emelyn F. Cabico.
DOLI sought the court’s order to compel the defendants to comply with their legal obligations under a final administrative order and to collect unpaid wages, liquidated damages and civil penalties.
Records showed that on Aug. 18, 1999, then Labor Hearing Officer Herbert Soll issued an administrative order that required the defendants to pay Aquino $9,022 and Cabico $5,342.
DOLI requested the court to issue a declaratory judgment stating that the defendants are in violation of the administrative order and the Non-Resident Workers Act.
DOLI also asked the court to order the defendants to pay $500 per day in civil penalties and be permanently barred from employing guest workers.
DOLI records show that Aquino was employed as accountant, but was also required to work at night as poker attendant in a game room owned by the defendants.
Aquino, however, was not paid for overtime.
Records also showed that Cabico was hired as a waitress for one of the defendants’ restaurants. Except for a few weeks of employment, she never worked as a waitress but as attendant or cashier at a poker room.
