NEWBURY PARK : Doll Maker Ordered to Pay Old Overtime

A Newbury Park doll manufacturer has been ordered by a Los Angeles federal court to pay $35,242 in overtime wages to 39 employees, an official of the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.

The payment is part of a judgment consented to by Maryce Nicole Originals. The Labor Department sued the company over violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires that employees be paid 1 1/2 times the regular rate after 40 hours of work in a week.

Maryce Nicole Originals produces handmade porcelain dolls.

The overtime was earned by workers during 18 months ending in November, 1990. Payments to individual employees will range from a few dollars to more than $1,200, said Tino Serrano, a Labor Department spokesman.

Company owner Bob Knight said a company accountant did not correctly record the hours that employees worked.

“We were not aware of the infractions she had made because we always paid overtime,” Knight said.