Opinion ID: 4519852
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Plaintiffs’ Complaint and Molina’s Answer

Text: 3 Case: 19-13965 Date Filed: 03/26/2020 Page: 4 of 21 In December 2016, the named representative plaintiffs, Rodriguez and Wilkinson, filed their complaint in the District Court for the Northern District of Florida against Molina and its corporate parent, Molina Healthcare, Inc. (MHI). The complaint alleged Plaintiffs, and those similarly situated, had been unlawfully classified as exempt from the FLSA’s overtime provisions. On March 3, 2017, Molina responded to the complaint with a motion to dismiss and transfer venue to the Northern District of Illinois, arguing a first-filed class action pending in that court raised identical claims. In response, Plaintiffs dismissed MHI—the only defendant in the pending Illinois litigation—from the case and filed an amended complaint. In light of the dismissal of MHI, the district court denied Molina’s motion to dismiss on May 24, 2017. On July 6, 2017, following the denial of its motion to dismiss, Molina filed its answer and affirmative defenses. At that time, Molina denied liability, maintaining it had properly exempted Plaintiffs from overtime pay under the FLSA.