Lisa James worked at her job for nearly five years before feeling forced to resign due to a hostile work environment. Despite regularly working more than 40 hours per week, she was denied the overtime pay she was legally owed, and her employer claimed that she quit voluntarily. After being denied unemployment benefits by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), Ms. James turned to Lone Star Legal Aid for assistance.
Jeff Larsen, Senior Staff Attorney with LSLA’s Public Benefits Unit, represented the client in her appeal to the TWC. He successfully argued that her resignation was not voluntary, but the result of untenable workplace conditions. As a result, Ms. James was awarded $4,500 in retroactive unemployment benefits and began receiving ongoing benefits every two weeks while she searched for new employment.
While working with the client, Jeff discovered she had not been paid time-and-a-half for overtime hours she routinely worked. He consulted with Pete Makopoulos-Senftleber of LSLA’s Medical-Legal Partnership (MLP) Unit to evaluate potential wage claims. Pete, with the assistance of MLP paralegal Matthew Simonds, drafted a demand letter detailing violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Texas Payday Act.
The employer responded quickly and was open to settlement negotiations. Within a month of sending the demand letter, Ms. James received a check for nearly ten times the amount of her original unpaid overtime wages.
Ms. James expressed her gratitude to both teams for how their effective communication helped alleviate her issue so efficiently. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of LSLA’s Public Benefits and Medical-Legal Partnership units, Ms. James was able to meet critical expenses, continue her job search with confidence, and take a well-deserved break to focus on her well-being.
*Names have been changed to protect the identity of the client.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.lonestarlegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org