Manasco v. Best in Town et al

On September 13, 2023, plaintiff Lashundra Manasco initiated a collective action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama against Best in Town, Inc. and its owner Brandon Best. The complaint alleges that the defendants systematically violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay minimum wage and legally required overtime compensation. Manasco was employed as a home health aide, delivering essential personal care and companionship to elderly and disabled clients within their residences. She contends that she routinely worked well over 40 hours per workweek but never received the mandated time-and-a-half overtime premium. Furthermore, the suit claims that Best in Town deliberately misclassified its home health aides as independent contractors to circumvent wage and hour laws, and that the company neglected to maintain accurate and complete records of hours worked. Manasco seeks to recover all unpaid back wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages, recovery of attorney's fees, and a judicial declaration that the defendants' practices are unlawful. The matter is currently in preliminary litigation stages.

The case remains active and is currently proceeding through discovery; no final judgment or settlement has been publicly entered.

The central dispute is whether Best in Town, Inc. willfully misclassified its home health aides as independent contractors and failed to compensate them with minimum wage and overtime pay as mandated by the FLSA. Additional contested issues include the employer's failure to keep proper time records and whether the lawsuit may be certified as a collective action covering similarly situated employees.

The litigation casts a spotlight on wage theft vulnerabilities within the home care industry, particularly concerning misclassification of low-wage domestic workers. It may influence how small and mid-sized care agencies structure employment and pay practices to comply with federal labor standards.