Class Action Says Getty Images Failed to Reimburse Remote Employees for Business Expenses

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Getty Images faces a proposed class action over its alleged failure to reimburse remote employees in Seattle for business-related expenses.

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The eight-page case says that in response to the Washington governor’s statewide “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order issued in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID-19, Getty Images closed its Seattle office and instructed employees to work remotely until further notice. 

From that point on, the visual media company and stock image supplier has unlawfully required employees to shoulder the business expenses they’ve incurred while working from home, which include the costs of internet and phone service, office supplies, utilities and securing their own remote work offices, the lawsuit charges.

According to the complaint, Getty Images is required under Seattle’s Wage Theft Ordinance to compensate employees at least once a month for all necessary expenses incurred through their job duties. 

The plaintiffs, two former Getty Images employees who worked from their home offices in Seattle, say the company never paid them back for these necessary out-of-pocket expenses.

The lawsuit seeks to represent any Getty Images employees who worked remotely from home in Seattle within the last three years.

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