O’Brien Law Firm obtains federal jury verdict for two workers against federal contractor
On March 11, 2014, a unanimous federal jury in San Antonio found that federal contractor Stobil Enterprises had engaged in unlawful retaliation under federal law when it fired employees Reyes and Houston for filing a complaint for unpaid overtime. Reyes and Houston worked as cooks in the kitchen of a veterans’ rehab facility in San Antonio. Stobil Enterprises is a d/b/a of Bille Odell Stone with a federal contract to service the facility. The evidence showed that Stone had attempted to cover up his retaliatory motive with other, bogus claims as to why he fired these two men on the same day. The jury awarded Mr. Houston all of his back wages and $10,750 of emotional distress damages. Mr. Reyes, who did not have lost wages due to an ongoing work injury, was awarded $5,000 in emotional distress damages. O’Brien has petitioned for the Court to double the awards as liquidated damages under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Stobil Enterprises may appeal the verdict.