Opinion ID: 6346803
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure-to-pay and Waiting-time Claim

Text: Finally, CoreCivic argues that because Owino and Gomez “did not reference their failure-to-pay/waiting-time claim ([Cal. Labor Code] §§ 201–203)” in their motion for class certification, the district court should not have certified that claim as one common to the California Labor Law class. Because the claims are affirmatively interwoven in Owino’s pleadings, the district court did not abuse its discretion in certifying this claim. To begin, the complaint included California Labor Code §§ 201–03 among the causes of action for the California Labor Law class: Plaintiffs and Class Members incorporate the above allegations by reference. OWINO V. CORECIVIC 21 California Labor Code §§ 201 and 202 require CoreCivic to pay all compensation due and owing to Plaintiffs and Class Members immediately upon discharge or within seventy-two hours of their termination of employment. Cal. Labor Code § 203 provides that if an employer willfully fails to pay compensation promptly upon discharge or resignation, as required by §§ 201 and 202, then the employer is liable for such “waiting time” penalties in the form of continued compensation up to thirty workdays. CoreCivic willfully failed to pay Plaintiffs and Class Members who are no longer employed by CoreCivic compensation due upon termination as required by Cal. Labor Code §§ 201 and 202. As a result, CoreCivic is liable to Plaintiffs and former employee Class Members waiting time penalties provided under Cal. Labor Code § 203, plus reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs of suit. Owino asserted that CoreCivic violated a dozen provisions of the California Labor Code with respect to the members of the California Labor Law class. The motion for class certification then stated, “Plaintiffs’ claims on behalf of the CA Labor Law Class for violations of the California Labor Code . . . all turn on a common legal question: whether ICE detainees that worked through the [Work Program] at CoreCivic’s facilities in California are employees of CoreCivic under California law . . . .” Owino then discussed this question in depth. 22 OWINO V. CORECIVIC CoreCivic has cited no precedent to suggest that Owino must specifically list the citation of each of the dozen provisions of the California Labor Code in the motion for class certification. Such an approach would exalt form over substance and ignore the fair notice Owino provided to CoreCivic throughout the certification proceeding. Rather, because Owino outlined these provisions substantively in the complaint, stated that “all” of the alleged violations of the Labor Code turn on a common question, and discussed the common question at length, Owino sufficiently referenced this matter before the district court.