In a bold legal move, a former employee has launched a class action lawsuit against a major corporation, alleging widespread labor violations that could affect numerous current and former employees. Hamedullah Hotak filed the complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, on January 6, 2025, targeting Infinera Corporation for alleged breaches of multiple labor laws.
The lawsuit, led by plaintiff Hamedullah Hotak and represented by Blackstone Law APC, accuses Infinera Corporation of several violations under the California Labor Code. These include failing to pay minimum wages as required by sections 1194, 1197, and 1197.1; not compensating for overtime according to sections 510 and 1198; and neglecting to provide mandatory meal and rest breaks as per sections 226.7 and 512(a). Hotak claims these infractions occurred during his employment from April to October 2024 when he worked as an Apprentice Technician at Infinera's Sunnyvale location.
Hotak's complaint outlines that Infinera systematically underpaid its hourly-paid and non-exempt employees by requiring them to work off-the-clock without compensation. He alleges that the company failed to pay wages timely during employment and upon termination, did not reimburse necessary business expenses, and provided inaccurate wage statements. "Defendants knew or should have known that they had a duty to compensate Plaintiff," the complaint states, accusing Infinera of willfully ignoring its obligations to boost profits.
The class action seeks various forms of relief from the court. It demands certification of the lawsuit as a class action with Hotak appointed as the representative for all similarly affected employees. The plaintiffs are pursuing actual damages for unpaid wages, statutory penalties for each violation cited in the complaint, attorney fees, costs of suit incurred, pre-judgment interest on unpaid compensation from due dates until paid in full, liquidated damages equal to unlawfully unpaid wages plus interest thereon under section 1194.2 among other remedies.
Representing Hotak is a team from Blackstone Law APC including Jonathan M. Genish, Miriam Schimmel, Joana Fang, Alexandra Rose, and Jared C. Osborne. The case is presided over by Judge C. Roman under Case ID: 25CV455860.