CHICAGO (LN) — U.S. District Judge Jeremy C. Daniel denied Helia Healthcare Services' motion to dismiss a wage-and-hour class action filed by former employee Amanda High, ruling the employer failed to explain why its putative skilled nursing facilities should be dismissed from claims of automatic pay deductions and improper overtime rates.
High, who worked as an hourly employee for Helia from October 2022 until March 2025, alleged the company automatically deducted 30 minutes per day from recorded hours even though she did not take breaks and received no pay for that time.
The complaint also claims Helia failed to pay proper overtime rates and calculated bonuses to hourly employees without including their regular rates of pay for overtime purposes.
High brought the suit on behalf of herself and others similarly situated, alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, and the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act.
Helia moved to dismiss the complaint under Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), 12(b)(7), and 12(c), asserting it never employed High, did not deduct time from paychecks, and that High failed to name a necessary party.
In its two-page motion, Helia attached a pay stub, an email from its counsel to High's counsel, and a memo on its timekeeping policy for lunch breaks, but Judge Daniel refused to consider the extrinsic evidence, noting the documents were not mentioned in the complaint.
Daniel exercised his discretion to deny Helia's request to convert the motion into one for summary judgment, emphasizing that the veracity of the plaintiff's allegations is not at issue stage.
The judge ruled that Helia made no effort to argue why certain requirements under Rule 19 for joining a party had been satisfied, stating that dismissal on that ground is not the preferred outcome under the Rules.
Daniel ordered Helia to answer the complaint on or before April 3, 2026, and set a scheduling conference for April 23, 2026, to be held via WebEx.
The parties must confer pursuant to Rule 26(f) on or before April 2, 2026, and file their report on or before April 16, 2026, addressing deadlines to join other parties and amend pleadings.