Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross might be in some hot water. The NAACP Image Award-winning actress is soon to turn 50. Still, instead of celebrating, she might have to worry about accusations surrounding California’s Labor Laws. According to reports, her ex-assistant filed a lawsuit alleging that she had not been paid for overtime.
Tracee Ellis Ross Being Sued by Former Employee for Overworking https://t.co/DDy58Au9mc pic.twitter.com/5OPcgFVawv
— BallerAlert (@balleralert) December 1, 2021
The California Labor Law website clearly lists how long employees are entitled to certain daily breaks. Under the state’s law, which reportedly considerably has more benefits than the federal law, employees are supposed to be given a 30-minute break to take meals if their hours of employment surpass 5 hours. In addition, employees are to receive an extra ten minutes of uninterrupted break time for “every 4 hours of work.” The website also details that each break should be consecutive minutes and that each break time must be financially compensated. However, employees are advised that they have the option to pass up their break times as long as they are not being forced by their employers.
For those that work longer than the hours mentioned above, they are entitled to an extra break that consists of half an hour. During any break times, all employees are free to leave the premises of their place of employment to do their bidding. There are also consequences listed for employers who don’t allow or enforce break times. Employees unable to receive ample breaks throughout their work day are encouraged to file a lawsuit against their bosses, usually considered for up to three years for the dealing, as per the website.
Armed with this information, a woman named Samantha Wilkins, who claims to be Tracee Ellis Ross’s former assistant, filed a lawsuit against the actress and her production company in 2021. Radar Online reveals via court documents that Wilkins maintains she was “illegally paid” as an exempt employee when she should have been considered nonexempt. They also note that she was employed by Ross for under two years.
Tracee Ellis Ross’ Ex-Assistant Drops $300k Lawsuit Over Unpaid Wages https://t.co/CR9fv1qe7Y pic.twitter.com/RDQy3XdHDx
— Brightly (@2BrightlyAgain) October 13, 2022
However, a recent report from Radar Online reveals that Samantha Wilkins has dropped her lawsuit. The suit, which was said to be worth over “$300,000.00 in lost wages and penalties,” appears that the case has been settled behind closed doors.
