Lawsuit Investigation: Are BBG Appraisers, Researchers Owed Unpaid Wages?

Attorneys working with ClassAction.org believe BBG Real Estate may have violated federal and state labor laws by failing to pay overtime wages to real estate appraisers and researchers—and they’re looking into whether a lawsuit can be filed against the commercial real estate firm.

Specifically, they believe appraisers and researchers, who work under the supervision of a certified real estate appraiser, may have been illegally misclassified as “exempt” employees—i.e., workers who are not entitled to overtime and other employment benefits under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The attorneys suspect that these positions may not qualify for any exemptions under the FLSA and that workers could be owed unpaid time-and-a-half overtime wages for any hours they worked over 40 per week.

Why Might Real Estate Appraisers, Researchers Be Owed Overtime?

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, most employees are entitled to overtime wages for working more than 40 hours per week. These workers are called “non-exempt employees” and must be paid at least one-and-a-half times their regular pay rate for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek.

On the other hand, employers are not required to pay overtime to certain categories of employees who are considered “exempt.” Some examples of exempt employees include commissioned sales employees, computer professionals and farmworkers. Certain executive, administrative and professional workers who meet minimum salary requirements are also considered exempt under the FLSA. However, a job title alone is not enough to determine whether an employee is exempt; for the most part, exemptions are determined by an employee’s job duties.

The attorneys believe that the work performed by BBG Real Estate appraisers and researchers may not fall under any of the exemptions outlined in the FLSA and that these workers could be legally entitled to overtime pay.

How Could a Lawsuit Help?

If filed and successful, a lawsuit could help current and former BBG Real Estate appraisers and researchers get back any unpaid overtime wages they’re owed. It could also force the company to change how it classifies its employees to ensure that people in these positions are properly paid in the future.

What You Can Do

After you get in touch, an attorney or legal representative may reach out to you directly to ask you some questions and tell you more about how you may be able to help the investigation. It costs nothing to fill out the form or speak with someone, and you’re not obligated to take legal action if you don’t want to.

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