Three former financial representatives of Milwaukee-based Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company filed a $200 million suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (San Diego) alleging federal and state wage and hour violations by the company.
The three allege that they were denied the minimum pay and overtime compensation to which they were entitled.
"Northwestern Mutual will certainly vigorously defend itself against the suit," said company spokeswoman Jean Towell. "These allegations are certainly without merit."
In a news release lawyers for the plaintiffs said they were employees of Northwestern Mutual. But Towell said they were independent contractors, not employees.
"The individuals who filed the suit have never been employees," Towell said. "They are financial representatives who are independent contractors in our nationwide distribution system."
The two California plaintiffs in the case requested certification of a class on behalf of hundreds of California employees or former employees of the insurance company, and $100 million in unpaid wages and liquidated damages on behalf of the class for violations of state law. The federal plaintiffs also requested unpaid wages and liquidated damages of $100 million.
"In modern society, workers are not indentured servants -- they are entitled to work a livable number of hours at a livable wage," said David Sanford, an attorney for one of the plaintiffs. "Northwestern Mutual has systematically denied basic minimum wage and overtime pay mandated by both the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and California's overtime and minimum wage laws."
$200 million class action lawsuit filed against Northwestern Mutual
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