Judge: Computer Sciences Did Not Pay Overseas Employee for All Hours Worked

Morgan & Morgan has obtained a judgment awarding $150,000 to a former employee of Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) in a breach of contract lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Computer Sciences failed to pay the plaintiff, George Rishell, who worked at an American Army base in Kuwait, for all hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek.

In light of this result, Rishell’s attorney, Angeli Murthy, would like to remind any current or former contractor who has been wrongfully denied wages pursuant to the terms of their contracts that they may have legal recourse and should get in touch with an attorney as soon as possible.

“The clock is ticking! These claims have expiration dates and if you are wondering if you have a claim, you should contact an attorney immediately,” Murthy said. “We’ve already successfully litigated one of these contract cases to a judgment, and know the documents at issue inside and out, so we are well-situated to handle these claims.”

According to the February 2013 complaint—which was filed in Florida federal court but transferred to the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Virginia—Rishell was hired by CSC on a contract basis as a “field technician senior associate” to perform electronics monitoring and maintenance at an American army base in Kuwait. Rishell entered into his contract with CSC in December 2009 and worked for the company from January 2010 until June 1, 2012.

As per the terms of Rishell and CSC’s agreement, he was to be paid $32.93 per hour on a biweekly basis. Rishell claimed, however, he was only paid for 40 hours of work each week, not for any hours he worked over 40. According to the complaint, Rishell worked upwards of 80 hours almost every week. Computer Sciences argued that Rishell was properly made a salaried employee once overseas. The court saw through CSC’s argument, and ruled that Computer Sciences violated the terms of the offer letter, which clearly and unambiguously stated that he would be paid on an hourly basis, rather than a salaried basis.

Rishell’s suit sought retroactive payment of his wages lost due to CSC’s breach of the contract. On December 12, 2014, U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton awarded Rishell $150,532.

This case is not the first time Computer Sciences has been accused of improper pay practices. In 2005, the company paid $24 million to settle a major class action lawsuit that alleged Computer Sciences Corp. violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay overtime to computer technical support workers.

If you were or are currently an employee of Computer Sciences Corporation whose offer letter listed an hourly rate, but was improperly paid a salary covering only forty hours at that hourly rate instead even though you worked over forty hours, contact ustoday.