Souto v. Sovereign Realty Associates, Ltd.

23 Mass. L. Rptr. 386
CourtMassachusetts Superior Court
DecidedDecember 14, 2007
DocketNo. 0501281
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 23 Mass. L. Rptr. 386 (Souto v. Sovereign Realty Associates, Ltd.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Souto v. Sovereign Realty Associates, Ltd., 23 Mass. L. Rptr. 386 (Mass. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

Fremont-Smith, Thayer, J.

Upon filing, this action was removed to the United States District Court in the District Court of Massachusetts. There, Souto sought to recover unpaid wages against Sovereign Realty Associates, Ltd. (“Sovereign”) and its president, Stuart Roffman (“Roffman”), for Sovereign’s alleged violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), violations of Massachusetts General Law Chapters 149 and 151, breach of contract, fraud, and promissory estoppel. Sovereign subsequently moved for judgment on the pleadings on portions of Count I, II, III, IV, VII and moved to strike Count II of Souto’s complaint. Souto then moved to amend his complaint. The District Court allowed both of Sovereign’s motions and denied Souto’s motion. Consequently, all that remains before the Court is Souto’s claim for unpaid wages1 under the Massachusetts Wage Act, G.L.c. 149, §148, as asserted in Count I of Souto’s complaint.2

BACKGROUND

The following facts, taken largely from a Memorandum issued by the United States District Court in the District Court of Massachusetts form the basis for Souto’s action. Souto worked as a maintenance repairman for Sovereign from 1994 until July 3, 2002. In 1998, Sovereign agreed, through Roffman, to sponsor Souto’s Application for Labor Certification. Thereafter, Roffman forced Souto to perform tasks beyond the duties of his job, including wearing a pager tweniy-four hours a day, seven days a week and performing Roffman’s personal chores. Roffman and other Sovereign managerial employees treated Souto poorly, called him names, and humiliated him in front of other Sovereign employees. As a result of this treatment, Souto contacted the Massachusetts Division of Employment and Training. On July 3, 2002, Sovereign terminated Souto’s employment. Souto filed this action with the Court on April 13, 2005.

DISCUSSION

Summary judgment is appropriate where there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving parly is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(c); Cassesso v. Comm’r of Corr., 390 Mass. 419, 422 (1983); Cmty. Nat’l Bank v. Dawes, 369 Mass. 550, 553 (1976). The moving party must affirmatively demonstrate that there is no genuine issue of material fact on each relevant issue. Pederson v. Time, Inc., 404 Mass. 14, 17 (1989). A “material fact” is one that might affect the outcome of the suit under the applicable law. Mulvihill v. The Top-Flight Golf Co., 335 F.3d 15, 19 (1st Cir. 2003). “Genuine” means that the evidence would permit a reasonable fact finder to resolve the point in favor of the nonmovant. Id.

If the moving parly does not bear the burden of proof at trial, it must either: 1) submit affirmative evidence negating an essential element of the non-moving parly’s claim; or 2) demonstrate that the non-moving party’s evidence is insufficient to establish its claim. Kourovacilis v. General Motors Corp., 410 Mass. 706, 711 (1991).The non-moving parly maynot defeat the motion for summary judgment by resting merely on the allegations and denials of its pleadings, but must set forth specific facts with affidavits, deposition testimony, answers to interrogatories, or admissions on file showing that there is a genuine issue for trial. Mass.R.Civ.P. 56(e). The Court will interpret all inferences in the light most favorable to the non-moving parly. Blare v. Husky Injection Molding Sys. Boston, Inc., 419 Mass. 437, 438 (1995).

G.L.c. 149, §148, in pertinent part, provides that “every person having employees in his service shall pay weekly or bi-weekly each such employee the wages [387]*387earned by him to within six days of the termination of the pay period during which the wages were earned if employed for five or six days in a calendar week, or within seven days of the pay period during which the wages were earned if such employee is employed seven days in a calendar week.” The Massachusetts legislature enacted this statute “to limit ‘the interval between the completion of a work week and the payday on which the wages earned in that week will be paid.’ ” Parow v. Howard, 17 Mass. L. Rptr. 149, 150 (Mass.Super. 2003) [17 Mass. L. Rptr. 149] (quoting American Mutual Liab. Ins. Co. v. Comm’r of Labor & Industries, 340 Mass. 144, 145 (1959)) [11 Mass. L. Rptr. 52]. In furtherance of this purpose, the Massachusetts Legislature also enacted G.L.c. 149, §150, which authorizes an aggrieved employee to bring a civil action within three years against an employer who fails to comply with the requirements of G.L.c. 149, §148.

I.Regular Wages

Souto alleges that Sovereign represented to the Government in his Application for Labor Certification that it was paying him $15.53 per hour. It is this allegation which serves as the basis for Souto’s claim for unpaid regular wages. In its motion for summary judgment, Sovereign argues that it was Souto’s immigration attorney that made this representation to the government, and that Souto has failed to show that Sovereign agreed to or was even aware of this representation. Souto, however, has not set forth specific facts with affidavits, deposition testimony, answers to interrogatories, or admissions on file showing that Sovereign represented to the Government in his Application for Labor Certification that it was paying him $15.53 per hour. In fact, Souto demonstrates through his own deposition testimony that he understood that Sovereign would pay him $10.00 per hour and that Sovereign refused to pay him more. Accordingly, the Court ALLOWS Sovereign’s motion with regard to Souto’s claim for unpaid regular wages.

II.Overtime Wages

In addition to regular wages, Souto seeks recovery of overtime wages. Souto alleges that he worked on average 55-60 hours per week, but was never paid for more than 40 hours per week. Recognizing that the District Court dismissed as time-barred his claim for wages at the overtime premium under G.L.c. 151, §1A (which has a two-year statute of limitations), Souto claims that he is still entitled to recover his regular wages for all hours worked under G.L.c. 149, §148, for which the statute of limitations is three years. In its motion for summary judgment, Sovereign argues that G.L.c. 151, § 1A, which provides for “time and one-half’ for hours worked over forty hours per week, is the sole vehicle for recovery of overtime wages; as such, Souto is precluded from recovering overtime wages at any rate, premium or regular. To the contrary, Massachusetts courts have recognized that wages at the employee’s regular rate for time worked in excess of his normal hours are “wages” nonetheless for purposes of G.L.c. 149, §148. Parow v. Howard, 2003 WL 23163114, *3 (Mass.Super.) (allowing recovery of overtime wages under G.L.c. 149, §148); Charles v. Roads Corp., 1999 WL 1203754, *3 (Mass.Super.) (finding salary owed to employee for hours worked is an hourly wage regardless of characterization as overtime or otherwise).

Additionally, Sovereign argues in its motion for summary judgment that regardless of whether overtime wages are recoverable under G.L.c. 149, §148, Souto did not work additional hours, and that Souto’s inability to state when he actually worked overtime precludes recovery. However, Souto’s allegation that he worked on average 55-60 hours per week is supported by his own deposition testimony and an affidavit submitted by his former supervisor, Lawerence Dorsey (“Dorsey”).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Tze-Kit Mui v. Massachusetts Port Authority
32 Mass. L. Rptr. 567 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2015)
Napert v. Government Employees Insurance
36 F. Supp. 3d 237 (D. Massachusetts, 2014)
Amero v. Townsend Oil Co.
31 Mass. L. Rptr. 111 (Massachusetts Superior Court, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
23 Mass. L. Rptr. 386, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/souto-v-sovereign-realty-associates-ltd-masssuperct-2007.