Opinion ID: 692071
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the flsa claim was false

Text: 14 As an initial matter, Davis's contention that Smiley and Fellows conspired to file a false claim is utterly meritless. According to a pretrial stipulation, Smiley filed a claim that Davis did not pay overtime. That claim was not false, because for eight months of the year, Davis did not pay overtime. There is no evidence that either Smiley or Fellows said that Davis never paid overtime. It therefore would be clear error to find that Smiley and Fellows conspired to file a false claim, or that they did file a false claim. Davis was mistaken if he believed that the claim was false, and he--not Smiley or Fellows--should bear the consequences of his mistake. 15 Moreover, the truthfulness of the complaint that Smiley and Fellows filed is evidenced by its result: an award of back wages to Davis's employees. The anti-retaliation provision of the FLSA would be toothless indeed if it did not prevent an employer from discharging an employee for the filing of a successful claim. We reject the notion that an employer may fire a worker who files a successful claim merely because the employer decides that his violation of the law was not quite as extensive as the employer thinks the employee has alleged. The FLSA was designed to protect the rights of employees, not the feelings of employers. 16