In a compelling legal battle, a former employee has taken a stand against his previous employer, alleging serious violations of labor laws. Jaylin White filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on December 4, 2024, accusing Laci Transport Inc. and its owner, Vladeta Markovitc, of misclassifying him as an independent contractor and denying him rightful overtime pay.
Jaylin White's case is rooted in allegations that during his employment with Laci Transport Inc., he was improperly classified as a 1099 independent contractor rather than an employee. This misclassification allegedly led to the denial of overtime pay for hours worked beyond the standard 40-hour workweek. White contends that this action violates several labor laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Portal-to-Portal Act, the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, and the Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance.
White's employment history with Laci Transport Inc. dates back to October 6, 2019, when he began working as a spotter truck driver at the Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant in Chicago. His tenure continued until mid-July 2021 and resumed between July and December 2022. Despite performing duties solely within the plant confines—distinct from shuttle drivers who transported goods on public highways—White was allegedly categorized incorrectly by Laci Transport Inc., which impacted his compensation.
The lawsuit references previous litigation involving Laci Transport Inc., specifically Stingley v. Laci Transport, Inc., where similar issues were addressed. In that case, subclasses of employees were established based on their roles as either spotter or shuttle drivers. The court approved settlements for spotter drivers like White but ruled against shuttle drivers based on exemptions under the Motor Carrier Act.
White claims that despite being identified as a spotter driver in earlier proceedings authenticated by Markovitc's declaration, he was mistakenly excluded from receiving back overtime wages due to inaccurate categorization as a shuttle driver. This exclusion prompted White to seek discovery to ensure no other spotter drivers were similarly overlooked.
The plaintiff seeks various forms of relief from the court: back pay for unpaid overtime compensation over two years preceding the complaint filing; prejudgment interest; reasonable attorneys' fees; liquidated damages equal to unpaid compensation; and statutory interest damages amounting to three times unpaid overtime under municipal law provisions.
Representing Jaylin White is attorney John W. Billhorn from Billhorn Law Firm located in Chicago. The case is presided over by Honorable Judge John F. Kness under Case ID: 1:24-cv-12475.