COSTA MESA : Irrigation Company Settles Overtime Suit
Officials with a Costa Mesa irrigation company have agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a federal lawsuit accusing the firm of withholding overtime payments from 160 employees.
Christensen Irrigation Co., which installs irrigation systems on golf courses throughout the country, has until October, 1996, to make the payments under an agreement reached with the U.S. Department of Labor.
The federal agency filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on behalf of the workers, most of whom are Mexican immigrants.
The suit, which also names company President W. Jack Christensen as a defendant, alleges that the company violated federal labor laws by failing to pay its workers overtime, at least 1 1/2 times above the normal rate, during the last three years.
The firm agreed to pay the amounts claimed instead of fighting the lawsuit, according to documents filed in court.
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