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California Labor Department – Wage Theft Claims and Judgments – 4th Quarter 2022
The California Department of Industrial Relations maintains a database of wage theft claims and judgments presented to the office by employees, and judgments against individuals and corporations. We have reviewed this database for judgments from October 1st, 2022 through December 31st, 2022, the fourth quarter of 2022.
When a wage claim is filed, the Labor Commissioner’s Office investigates the claim and publicly posts information about the name of the organization, the date of the claim, and additional information such as the type of industry.
If you believe you are not being paid for all the time you worked, or are not being paid overtime due, or are misclassified as exempt, we invite you to schedule a consultation with an employment lawyer at Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP. Schneider Wallace is a national law firm that represents employees in a wide range of employment law cases, including California employment lawsuits involving the failure to pay wages, overtime pay and commissions. Contact us at 800-689-0024.
California Wage Judgments, 4th Quarter 2022
California reported 400 judgments in the 4th quarter of 2022, after excluding duplicates. The total value of all judgments was $9,124,809. Duplicates defined as judgments listed with identical judgment names (example: J-012345) and totals (example: $1,000,000.00).
Security Guards and Patrol Services had the largest number of judgments as an industry category (28).
Home Health Care Services had the largest total value of judgments at $1,209.284.
Food service can be categorized under multiple different industries, and in total is a large source of wage claims and wage judgments. Adding together “Full-Service Restaurants”, “Restaurants and Other Eating Places”, “Limited—Service Restaurants” found 44 judgments totaling $931,577 in judgment totals.
The largest individual wage judgment listed was for $326,800, in the Home Health Care Services industry.
California Wage Judgments 4th Quarter 2022, By Industry
4th Quarter 2022 California Wage Judgments, by Industry, ranked by judgment value (minimum $50,000):
|
2022 Q4 CA Wage Judgements, by Industry |
Sum of Judgment Total |
|
Home Health Care Services |
$ 1,209,284 |
|
Apparel Manufacturing |
$ 613,375 |
|
Construction |
$ 504,526 |
|
Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
$ 434,886 |
|
Full-Service Restaurants |
$ 338,592 |
|
Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
$ 322,253 |
|
Security Guards and Patrol Services |
$ 282,200 |
|
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) |
$ 262,395 |
|
Software Publishers |
$ 250,798 |
|
Janitorial Services |
$ 213,695 |
|
Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors |
$ 200,373 |
|
Apparel, Piece Goods, and Notions Merchant Wholesalers |
$ 178,182 |
|
Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance |
$ 174,586 |
|
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing |
$ 159,850 |
|
Limited-Service Restaurants |
$ 158,099 |
|
Nursery and Floriculture Production |
$ 145,583 |
|
Other Food Crops Grown Under Cover |
$ 125,777 |
|
Nail Salons |
$ 122,464 |
|
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
$ 122,117 |
|
General Automotive Repair |
$ 118,814 |
|
Cannabis Grower |
$ 113,788 |
|
Residential Building Construction |
$ 109,661 |
|
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
$ 107,232 |
|
Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities |
$ 102,378 |
|
Educational Support Services |
$ 101,491 |
|
General Freight Trucking, Local |
$ 100,744 |
|
Landscaping Services |
$ 100,484 |
|
Motion Picture and Video Industries |
$ 92,347 |
|
Other Farm Product Raw Material Merchant Wholesalers |
$ 85,977 |
|
Office Administrative Services |
$ 82,574 |
|
Freight Transportation Arrangement |
$ 77,015 |
|
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
$ 76,140 |
|
Marketing Consulting Services |
$ 71,721 |
|
Residential Remodelers |
$ 68,664 |
|
All Other Personal Services |
$ 64,597 |
|
Agriculture |
$ 61,889 |
|
Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers’ Camps |
$ 58,886 |
|
General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload |
$ 55,376 |
|
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
$ 55,156 |
|
Car Washes |
$ 50,511 |
4th Quarter California Wage Judgments, by Industry, ranked by total judgments (minimum: 5):
|
2022 Q4 CA Wage Judgements, by Industry |
Count of Judgments |
|
Security Guards and Patrol Services |
28 |
|
Construction |
22 |
|
Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
18 |
|
Home Health Care Services |
15 |
|
Limited-Service Restaurants |
13 |
|
Full-Service Restaurants |
13 |
|
Apparel Manufacturing |
12 |
|
Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing (except Contractors) |
10 |
|
Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors |
7 |
|
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
7 |
|
Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
7 |
|
Motion Picture and Video Industries |
7 |
|
General Automotive Repair |
7 |
|
General Freight Trucking, Local |
7 |
|
Agriculture |
7 |
|
Cannabis Grower |
6 |
|
Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities |
6 |
|
Software Publishers |
6 |
|
Car Washes |
6 |
|
Landscaping Services |
6 |
|
Janitorial Services |
6 |
|
Freight Transportation Arrangement |
5 |
|
All Other Crop Farming |
5 |
|
Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance |
5 |
California Wage Judgments Q4 2022, By Labor Office
Q4 2022 California Wage Judgments by Labor Office, ranked by total judgment value:
|
2022 Q4 CA Wage Judgements, by DIR Office |
Sum of Judgment Total |
|
Long Beach WCA |
$ 1,487,794 |
|
Fresno WCA |
$ 757,602 |
|
Los Angeles GARMENT |
$ 737,748 |
|
Santa Ana WCA |
$ 705,322 |
|
San Jose BOFE |
$ 619,917 |
|
Los Angeles BOFE |
$ 583,171 |
|
Los Angeles WCA |
$ 546,946 |
|
Oakland WCA |
$ 498,108 |
|
San Francisco WCA |
$ 475,826 |
|
Van Nuys BOFE |
$ 422,003 |
|
Santa Rosa WCA |
$ 388,886 |
|
Van Nuys WCA |
$ 316,358 |
|
Sacramento WCA |
$ 298,750 |
|
Sacramento BOFE |
$ 210,300 |
|
Stockton WCA |
$ 201,867 |
|
Santa Ana BOFE |
$ 179,682 |
|
Salinas WCA |
$ 146,098 |
|
Santa Barbara WCA |
$ 130,120 |
|
Redding WCA |
$ 115,759 |
|
RCI North |
$ 55,039 |
|
Oakland BOFE |
$ 50,655 |
|
San Jose WCA |
$ 49,441 |
|
Fresno BOFE |
$ 46,994 |
|
Bakersfield BOFE |
$ 39,401 |
|
San Bernardino WCA |
$ 36,201 |
|
San Diego BOFE |
$ 17,321 |
|
El Centro BOFE |
$ 6,000 |
|
Sacramento JEU |
$ 1,500 |
|
Grand Total |
$ 9,124,810 |
Q4 2022 California Wage Judgments, ranked by number of judgments:
|
2022 Q4 CA Wage Judgements, by DIR Office |
Count of Judgments |
|
Fresno WCA |
56 |
|
Santa Ana WCA |
35 |
|
Long Beach WCA |
30 |
|
Los Angeles WCA |
29 |
|
Oakland WCA |
26 |
|
Sacramento WCA |
25 |
|
Van Nuys WCA |
25 |
|
San Francisco WCA |
18 |
|
Stockton WCA |
17 |
|
Los Angeles BOFE |
16 |
|
Van Nuys BOFE |
16 |
|
Santa Rosa WCA |
15 |
|
San Jose BOFE |
14 |
|
Sacramento BOFE |
13 |
|
Los Angeles GARMENT |
12 |
|
Salinas WCA |
12 |
|
San Jose WCA |
10 |
|
Redding WCA |
7 |
|
Oakland BOFE |
5 |
|
Fresno BOFE |
4 |
|
San Bernardino WCA |
4 |
|
Santa Barbara WCA |
3 |
|
Santa Ana BOFE |
2 |
|
Bakersfield BOFE |
2 |
|
El Centro BOFE |
1 |
|
San Diego BOFE |
1 |
|
RCI North |
1 |
|
Sacramento JEU |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
400 |
Most judgments come from Wage Claim Adjudication (WCA) offices. WCA offices investigate claims by workers, whether that claim be missed overtime, vacation pay, or wages.
The Bureau of Field Enforcement (BOFE) such as the Los Angeles BOFE office, is responsible for enforcement of laws covering worker’s compensation insurance, cash payments for work, child labor and unlicensed contractors.
California Wage Judgments Q4 2022, By Courthouse
Q4 2022 California Wage Judgments, by Courthouse, ranked by total judgment value:
|
2022 Q4 CA Wage Judgements, by Courthouse |
Sum of Judgment Total |
|
California Superior Court, County of Los Angeles, Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
$ 2,367,172 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Los Angeles, George Deukmejian Courthouse |
$ 1,300,740 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Orange, Central Justice Center |
$ 889,887 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Fresno – B.F. Sisk Courthouse |
$ 577,264 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, René C. Davidson Courthouse |
$ 467,132 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Sacramento, Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse |
$ 426,833 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Santa Clara, Downtown Superior Court |
$ 409,231 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Francisco |
$ 371,863 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Mateo, Southern Branch: Hall of Justice |
$ 367,374 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Ventura, Hall of Justice |
$ 318,908 |
|
(Blank) |
$ 247,300 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Joaquin, Stockton Courthouse |
$ 163,788 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Monterey, Monterey Courthouse |
$ 156,163 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Mendocino, Mendocino County Courthouse |
$ 125,777 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles Branch |
$ 122,117 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Marin, Hall of Justice |
$ 102,415 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Stanislaus, Main Courthouse |
$ 98,664 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Sonoma, Hall of Justice |
$ 85,977 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Sutter, Sutter County Superior Courthouse |
$ 82,574 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Napa, Historic Courthouse |
$ 74,717 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Kern, Metro Division |
$ 70,901 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, Hayward Hall of Justice |
$ 67,330 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Kings, Kings County Superior Court |
$ 51,155 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Madera, Main Courthouse |
$ 39,877 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Yolo, Yolo Superior Court |
$ 24,138 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Diego, Hall of Justice |
$ 23,321 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Contra Costa, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse |
$ 21,830 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, East County Hall of Justice |
$ 14,301 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Placer, Placer County Superior Court |
$ 11,344 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Riverside, Corona Courthouse |
$ 9,719 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Santa Barbara, Cook Division |
$ 8,003 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Yuba, Yuba County Courthouse |
$ 7,628 |
|
California Superior Court, County of El Dorado, Placerville Main Street Branch |
$ 7,159 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, George E. McDonald Hall of Justice |
$ 6,366 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Benito, Main Courthouse |
$ 5,277 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Butte, North Butte County Courthouse |
$ 563 |
|
Grand Total |
$ 9,124,810 |
Q4 2022 California Wage Judgments, by Courthouse, ranked by judgments:
|
2022 Q4 CA Wage Judgements, by Courthouse |
Count of Judgments |
|
California Superior Court, County of Los Angeles, Stanley Mosk Courthouse |
115 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Fresno – B.F. Sisk Courthouse |
45 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Orange, Central Justice Center |
38 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Sacramento, Gordon D. Schaber Courthouse |
31 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, René C. Davidson Courthouse |
24 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Francisco |
19 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Santa Clara, Downtown Superior Court |
16 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Joaquin, Stockton Courthouse |
15 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Monterey, Monterey Courthouse |
12 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Los Angeles, George Deukmejian Courthouse |
9 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Mateo, Southern Branch: Hall of Justice |
8 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Marin, Hall of Justice |
7 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, Hayward Hall of Justice |
6 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Madera, Main Courthouse |
6 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Napa, Historic Courthouse |
5 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Stanislaus, Main Courthouse |
4 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Yolo, Yolo Superior Court |
4 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Kern, Metro Division |
4 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Ventura, Hall of Justice |
4 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Placer, Placer County Superior Court |
3 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Kings, Kings County Superior Court |
3 |
|
(Blank) |
3 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Sutter, Sutter County Superior Courthouse |
2 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Santa Barbara, Cook Division |
2 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Contra Costa, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse |
2 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Mendocino, Mendocino County Courthouse |
2 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Diego, Hall of Justice |
2 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Sonoma, Hall of Justice |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles Branch |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of San Benito, Main Courthouse |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, East County Hall of Justice |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Riverside, Corona Courthouse |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of El Dorado, Placerville Main Street Branch |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Yuba, Yuba County Courthouse |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Alameda, George E. McDonald Hall of Justice |
1 |
|
California Superior Court, County of Butte, North Butte County Courthouse |
1 |
|
Grand Total |
400 |
California Wage Claims, Q4 2022
The Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) reported 9598 wage claims in Q4 of 2022.Wage claims are totaled here using the docket open date or date filed. The DIR handles thousands of claims a month. Employees can report wage claims such as lost wages, unpaid wages, unpaid overtime or commissions to the DIR, and can contact an attorney to assist with a claim.
Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky LLP is a premier California wage attorney law firm, ready to review your claim for free and offer assistance if you were underpaid. Schneider Wallace has recovered millions for California workers and maintains a large practice of employment lawyers investigating wage theft. Contact us at 1-800-689-0024.
Q4 2022 California Wage Claims, by opens in Q4, by Industry (25 or more individual claims):
|
CA Wage Claims, Q4 2022, by Industry |
Count of Wage Claims |
|
Restaurants and Other Eating Places |
476 |
|
Construction |
384 |
|
Security Guards and Patrol Services |
360 |
|
Full-Service Restaurants |
249 |
|
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
190 |
|
Couriers and Express Delivery Services |
184 |
|
Ambulatory Health Care Services |
160 |
|
Temporary Help Services |
149 |
|
Warehousing and Storage |
138 |
|
Home Health Care Services |
135 |
|
Food Manufacturing |
130 |
|
Truck Transportation |
128 |
|
Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels |
128 |
|
Hospitals |
124 |
|
Employment Placement Agencies |
121 |
|
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
116 |
|
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities |
113 |
|
Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) |
112 |
|
Limited-Service Restaurants |
111 |
|
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation |
110 |
|
Educational Services |
108 |
|
Agriculture |
102 |
|
Regulation and Administration of Communications, Electric, Gas, and Other Utilities |
96 |
|
Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores |
92 |
|
General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload |
90 |
|
Janitorial Services |
89 |
|
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
81 |
|
Motion Picture and Video Production |
71 |
|
Public Administration |
70 |
|
Clothing and Clothing Accessories Stores |
67 |
|
Commercial and Institutional Building Construction |
63 |
|
Cannabis Grower |
63 |
|
All Other Miscellaneous Retailers |
60 |
|
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities |
59 |
|
Elementary and Secondary Schools |
58 |
|
Offices of Dentists |
54 |
|
General Freight Trucking |
54 |
|
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
48 |
|
Private Households |
47 |
|
Residential Remodelers |
47 |
|
Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
46 |
|
Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services |
45 |
|
Personal and Laundry Services |
44 |
|
Traveler Accommodation |
43 |
|
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
43 |
|
Personal and Household Goods Repair and Maintenance |
43 |
|
Residential Building Construction |
42 |
|
Finish Carpentry Contractors |
42 |
|
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities |
39 |
|
Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
39 |
|
Freight Transportation Arrangement |
38 |
|
Health Care and Social Assistance |
36 |
|
Food Services and Drinking Places |
35 |
|
Landscaping Services |
35 |
|
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
34 |
|
Automotive Repair and Maintenance |
34 |
|
General Freight Trucking, Local |
34 |
|
Other Residential Care Facilities |
33 |
|
New Single-Family Housing Construction (except For-Sale Builders) |
33 |
|
Other General Government Support |
31 |
|
Services to Buildings and Dwellings |
29 |
|
Car Washes |
29 |
|
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
29 |
|
Retail Trade |
28 |
|
Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations |
28 |
|
Employment Services |
28 |
|
Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services |
27 |
|
Marketing Consulting Services |
27 |
|
Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities |
26 |
|
Used Merchandise Retailers |
25 |
|
Sales Financing |
25 |
|
Transportation and Warehousing |
25 |
|
Correctional Institutions |
25 |
|
Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores |
25 |
“Restaurants and Other Eating Places” lead claims by industry, with 476 claims. If “Full Service Restaurants” and “Limited-Service Restaurants” are also included as similar, food service workers under these three industry categories filed a total of 836 claims for unpaid wages in Q4.
Other industries with frequent wage claims appear on the list including construction, security guards, health care services, hospital staff including nurses, and temp or placement agencies.
Common issues related to under payment of wages include working before or after a shift off the clock, sometimes due to requirements such as bag checks, working during breaks without receiving penalty bonus pay, working during an unpaid lunch without receiving a paid lunch and bonus pay, and misclassification of workers as either temporary without benefits or exempt from overtime.
All wage claims and judgments seen on this page were a result of a search on March 28th, 2023.
Failure to Pay Wages, Overtime and Commissions
California state law and federal law regulate payment of minimum wage, overtime and commissions.
Right to pay can be complicated by unique employment relationships, such as independent contractors, tipped workers or commission-based positions. In addition, matters concerning deductions, holidays, meal periods and rest periods often arise.
Legal Consult with Experienced Employment Lawyers
Consult with Schneider Wallace to resolve wage claims and employment disputes. We invite you to schedule a consultation with an employment law attorney in our Bay Area and Los Angeles, California offices.