In a bold legal move, a California resident has filed a representative action lawsuit against two Delaware corporations, accusing them of numerous labor law violations. On March 27, 2025, Praxedes Brazil submitted the complaint to the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County against SEG Ed, Inc., Spring Education Group, Inc., and fifty unnamed defendants. The lawsuit alleges systemic labor code breaches under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), aiming to hold these companies accountable for their treatment of non-exempt employees in California.
Praxedes Brazil's lawsuit is rooted in claims that SEG Ed, Inc. and Spring Education Group, Inc. failed to comply with several sections of the California Labor Code during her employment as a non-exempt hourly employee from November 2001 through July 2024. Brazil contends that she and other similarly situated employees were not paid minimum wages for all hours worked, including time spent under employer control off-the-clock. She also alleges that overtime pay was improperly calculated or denied altogether, stating that "Defendants violated their duty to accurately and completely compensate the Aggrieved Employees for all overtime worked." The plaintiff further accuses the defendants of failing to provide mandatory rest and meal breaks as required by law, claiming that "Defendants periodically did not permit the Aggrieved Employees to take compliant duty-free rest breaks."
The lawsuit outlines additional grievances regarding untimely wage payments both during employment and upon separation. It asserts that SEG Ed, Inc. and Spring Education Group systematically issued inaccurate wage statements lacking essential information such as total hours worked and applicable hourly rates. These alleged failures extend to recordkeeping practices mandated by law but neglected by the defendants. According to Brazil's complaint, "Defendants failed to provide accurate itemized wage statements" due to their inability to track employee hours properly.
In seeking justice through this legal action, Praxedes Brazil demands civil penalties under PAGA for each violation committed by the defendants. The relief sought includes penalties distributed between affected employees and the Labor Workforce Development Agency (LWDA), restitution of unpaid wages with interest, attorney fees, costs incurred from pursuing this case legally—and an injunction preventing further violations against workers' rights outlined within her complaint.
Representing Praxedes Brazil are attorneys Jonathan Melmed, Kyle D. Smith, and Jaqueline Antillon from Melmed Law Group P.C., based in Los Angeles. The case is being reviewed under Case Number 25CV462260 at the Superior Court of California in Santa Clara County.