Tracee Ellis Ross’ ex-assistant, Samantha Wilkins, sued the actress and her company, Joy Mill Entertainment, over accusations of unpaid wages from 12+ hour workdays.
Court documents obtained by Radar Online indicated that Wilkins began working for the 49-year-old in 2019, and her employment came to an end in 2021. In the documents, she stated that she initially worked for $25 per hour and was qualified for overtime, breaks and meals. Then, in December 2019, Wilkins said, Ross told her that she would classify her as an exempt employee. As such, she was paid $70,000 a year, which meant that she was no longer eligible for overtime. In 2020, her salary was raised to $100,000 a year.
Wilkins’ lawsuit claimed that Ross misclassified her to avoid paying her properly. In November 2020, the Black-Ish actress corrected her decision and began paying her as a non-exempt employee. However, Wilkins allegedly did not receive all the money owed to her based on the number of hours she worked.
“Specifically, they illegally paid Wilkins a salary, without regard to the number of hours that she worked, the number of hours that she was on call, the overtime and double-time hours that she works, or the meal and rest periods that she missed,” her suit said.
She claimed that Ross and Joy Mill Entertainment didn’t pay her for overtime after she worked for 12+ hours a shift. She also alleged that they had her work seven days a week sometimes and regularly denied her rest and meal breaks. Eventually, she sued the actress and her company for alleged unpaid wages and “Labor Code Violations” totaling $25,000.
“Defendants knowingly and intentionally failed to furnish Wilkins with wage statements that accurately reflected all of the information required by Labor Code 226,” Wilkins’ suit said.
Recently, Ross demanded to have Wilkins’ lawsuit dismissed. Court documents reportedly stated that she denied all of the allegations and said that she and her company paid what was owed to her former employee.
“[Ross] has no liability for the purported damages suffered by [Wilkins]” the answer states. She argues any money Wilkins was owed has been paid in full,” the documents indicate.
Ross also demanded that the lawsuit to be moved from the public eye to private arbitration.
