LEWISTON, Maine - A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of about 75 Maine drivers who sued Oakhurst Dairy for more than $10 million in damages for unpaid overtime.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Oakhurst's defense that its drivers were exempt from overtime under a provision of Maine law that applies to workers who handle and store perishable foods.
The Oakhurst drivers each worked an average of 12 overtime hours per week from 2008 to 2014 and their attorney, Jeffrey Young, says the court's decision is a "tremendous victory" for them.
“They should have been paid overtime all along,” Young says. “My understanding is that other companies pay their drivers doing this kind of work overtime. And Oakhurst wasn't following the pack."
The drivers filed suit in 2014 in federal court in Portland under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and Maine's overtime law. Young says the next step in the case is to request that the court certify it as a class action under Maine law.
