LAWSUIT CERTIFIED AS CLASS ACTION.Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Staff Writer CALABASAS - An employee lawsuit lawsuit: see procedure; tort. that claims Countrywide Financial Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE: CFC) is a diversified financial marketing and service holding company engaged primarily in residential mortgage banking and related businesses. Corp. violated vi·o·late tr.v. vi·o·lat·ed, vi·o·lat·ing, vi·o·lates 1. To break or disregard (a law or promise, for example). 2. To assault (a person) sexually. 3. overtime laws and other workplace regulations won class action status, a law firm said Friday. The suit was filed in February 2002 in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court on behalf of about 400 employees at Countrywide coun·try·wide adv. & adj. Throughout a whole country; nationwide: launched a fundraising campaign countrywide; a countrywide search. Adj. 1. call centers in Rosemead and Pasadena, said attorney Laura Ho of the Oakland law firm of Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian. Class action status means that the suit now includes all Countrywide employees who worked at the centers anytime since Feb. 14, 1998. The suit claims that workers were forced to work 10-hour to 15-hour days six or seven days a week, but overtime was not paid. They were also forced to work through lunch periods on an almost daily basis and their paychecks were docked for mistakes. ``Countrywide is making record profits at the expense and mental health and well-being of its employees,'' Linda M. Dardarian, a partner in the workers rights firm, said in a statement. Rick Simon, a spokesman for Calabasas-based Countrywide, would not discuss the lawsuit. ``We don't comment on pending litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. and we're not in a position today to say anything about it,'' he said. Call center employees field incoming calls from customers seeking information about various loan products and complete and package paper work. Ho said the hope is that the suit will be ready for trial next spring. Gregory J. Wilcox, (818) 713-3743 greg.wilcox(at)dailynews.com |
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