A nursing home south of Festus has been accused in federal court of failing to properly pay its employees, according to court records.
The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday, June 22, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri that accuses the Superior Manor of Festus and two administrators of cheating 104 employees out of regular and overtime pay.
Sara Mosley, also referred to as Sara Winbush in the filing, and Betrina L. Gaither, also referred to as Holly Neff in the filing, are named as defendants along with the nursing home, 12827 Hwy. TT, south of Festus.
The complaint requests the court impose a civil penalty of at least $103,000 against the 55-bed nursing home, accusing Mosley and Gaither of failing to pay employees overtime or for all hours worked between August 2022 through August 2024.
The Department of Labor said Superior Manor of Festus “failed to pay their employees one-and-one-half times their regular rates for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek and instead paid employees their regular rates for all hours worked and/or did not pay employees for all hours worked.”
The complaint also said Superior Manor of Festus “failed to keep complete and accurate records. For example, some employees appeared on time records but not on the payroll records, the hours shown on the payroll records did not in all instances match the hours shown on the time records and required (Fair Labor Standards Act) posters were not displayed at the facility.”
A phone call today, June 23, seeking comment from Superior Manor of Festus was not immediately returned.
The Department of Labor claims Superior Manor of Festus was previously investigated for wage theft, but it continued to underpay employees. The complaint alleges additional wage theft may be ongoing, and employees may be owed additional back wages beyond the current $103,000 penalty.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services previously imposed 15 fines for a total of $79,745 from April through November 2023 against Superior Manor of Festus, according to Medicare.gov.
