The Law Office of Patrick R. Kitchin and the Law Offices of Daniel Feder File Class Action Lawsuit Against Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation.SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden -- The Law Office of Patrick R. Kitchin and the Law Offices of Daniel Feder announced today that they have filed a class action lawsuit class action lawsuit A lawsuit in which one party or a limited number of parties sue on behalf of a larger group to which the parties belong. For example, investors may bring a class action lawsuit against a brokerage firm that has actively promoted a tax against Polo Ralph Lauren Polo Ralph Lauren (NYSE: RL) is American fashion designer Ralph Lauren's luxury lifestyle company. Polo Ralph Lauren specializes in high-end casual/semi-formal wear for men and women, as well as accessories, fragrance, and housewares. Corporation for numerous violations of California labor and business laws. The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco Superior Court by four former Polo employees, Ann Otsuka, Janis Keefe, Corrine Phipps and Justin Kiser, who allege their former employer used fraud to entice them to take their jobs and then subjected them to a barrage of labor violations. The former employees allege Polo promised them a reasonable wage, rest breaks and humane treatment. But, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the 47-page complaint, Polo breached all of these promises. The four plaintiffs allege Polo required them to work many hours off the clock without pay, failed to pay them overtime, failed to permit them to take rest breaks, and kept them virtual prisoners in locked stores after hours so they could be inspected for stolen merchandise by managers. According to the plaintiffs, Polo manipulated their payroll records to record fewer hours than they had actually worked and denied them premium overtime pay. The pressure to sell was intense, so Polo managers pressured employees to forgo rest breaks so they spend more time making sales of Polo's high priced fashions. The four former employees seek unpaid wages, penalties and punitive damages Monetary compensation awarded to an injured party that goes beyond that which is necessary to compensate the individual for losses and that is intended to punish the wrongdoer. . They will ask the court to certify the case as a class action so they may pursue their claims on behalf of all Polo employees in California. They are also asking the court to order Polo to stop engaging in the illegal employment practices. This is not the only employment class action pending against Polo Ralph Lauren in California. In 2002, a former San Francisco Polo employee brought a class action against Polo for requiring employees to buy Polo clothes to wear as a work uniform, an alleged violation of California labor law labor law, legislation dealing with human beings in their capacity as workers or wage earners. The Industrial Revolution, by introducing the machine and factory production, greatly expanded the class of workers dependent on wages as their source of income. . Plaintiffs in that case, also represented by Patrick Kitchin and Daniel Feder, have sought approval of a $1.5 million settlement with Polo that, if approved by the United States District Court United States District Court In the U.S., any of the 94 trial courts of general jurisdiction in the federal judicial system. Each state, as well as the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, has at least one federal district court. in San Francisco on June 1, 2006, will result in the payment of up to $3,000 in cash and full-value gift certificates to long term Polo employees. Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation is a publicly traded company publicly traded company A company whose shares of common stock are held by the public and are available for purchase by investors. The shares of publicly traded firms are bought and sold on the organized exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :RL), with net revenues in 2005 of $3.3 billion. Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets and sells apparel, home, accessories and fragrances in over 270 retail stores, as well as department stores worldwide. In California, Polo operates 7 Ralph Lauren stores and 17 Factory stores, and offers Polo products in 613 Department and Specialty stores. Patrick Kitchin and Daniel Feder have established a website where additional information about the case can be obtained, including a copy of the class action complaint. Current and former employees of Polo Ralph Lauren are encouraged to visit www.poloclassaction.com where they can describe their experience working for Polo Ralph Lauren. |
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