Embattled Clippers Owner Sterling Being Sued By 2 Former Apartment Managers
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Embattled Clippers owner Donald Sterling is facing another legal challenge.
Sterling is being sued by two former apartment managers who claim the real estate magnate underpaid them and cheated them out of money they were owed for working overtime.
Lawyer Michael Morrison represents one of the two former managers.
CBS2's Randy Paige spoke to Morrison who said, about Sterling, "We're alleging, essentially, that he cheats his apartment managers out of pay that they rightfully have earned."
Morrison alleges Sterling paid his client, and the other manager, for 13 hours of work per week when work documents show they actually worked 40-50 hours per week.
The lawyer maintains there is no possible way a building manager could only put in 13 hours of work per week.
"You're doing maintenance, you have maintenance records you're going to the apartments to solve problems. It could be two in the morning and someone is saying 'My plumbing is on the fritz.' You're having a paper trail, you're calling someone, you're taking care of the problem, you're sending it to the office," Morrison says.
He claims Sterling treated the managers unfairly.
"They're violating California overtime laws, they're violating minimum wage laws and they're doing it in a very deceptive manner," Morrison maintains.
An attorney representing Sterling declined to talk to Paige on camera but instead offered a written statement which says the lawsuit involves the claims of "two disgruntled managers."
The statement reads, "Property managers are not required to work overtime and are not allowed to work overtime without advance approval of their supervisor. The defendant believes that the allegations will be disproven and that all of the defendant's pay practices will be found to be lawful and appropriate."
Paige says attorneys for the plaintiffs, meanwhile, are asking a judge to rule that this lawsuit can go forward as a class action suit so they can include more of Sterling's current or former employees.
