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Insurance firm directed to pay worker’s unpaid wage
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Posted on Dec 21 2011
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter
Reporter
Superior Court associate judge David A. Wiseman yesterday issued a ruling in a Labor case filed in 2005 by a nonresident worker who failed to collect unpaid wages from her employer.
Wiseman affirmed the Department of Labor Secretary’s order that found an insurance company liable to pay the worker, Lucila G. Aquino, $4,673.84 in unpaid wages that her employer, Ruth P. Reyes, failed to pay.
Wiseman ruled that there was nothing improper about the decision of the Labor administrative hearing office, which heard Aquino’s case and the bonding case.
He said that regardless of the award granted by the administrative hearing office, petitioner Royal Crown Insurance Corp. remained liable up to the bond limits.
According to Labor and court records, Aquino was a nonresident worker employed by Reyes. In 2003, Royal Crown issued a bond securing the performance of Reyes relating to her employment of Aquino.
In 2005, Aquino filed a labor complaint against Reyes. Royal Crown was not a party to the labor case.
The Labor administrative hearing office issued an order on March 7, 2008, awarding $4,673.84 in unpaid wages to Aquino.
Reyes failed to pay the award, prompting Labor to issue a notice instructing Royal Crown to either pay the award up to the bond limits or to file written objections.
In January 2010, the administrative hearing office ordered Royal Crown to pay under the bond. The terms of the bond provided for three months’ pay of $1,586.
In February 2010, Royal Crown filed an appeal with the Labor secretary, then a petition for judicial review in the Superior Court on April 11, 2010.
Two days later, April 14, 2010, the Labor secretary issued an order affirming the administrative hearing office’s order.
