Iowa City caretaker who alleged hundreds of thousands in wage theft settles lawsuit
An Iowa City woman who alleged she was grievously underpaid for seven years while working as a live-in caretaker has settled her case against her former employers.
Griselda Lopez worked for the Beyer family from 2014 to 2021, she alleged in a lawsuit last year, taking care of their home and providing round-the-clock monitoring for a relative who needed 24/7 attention due to a health condition. For this, she alleged in her lawsuit last year, she was paid $90 to $200 per week, with no vacations and only a few hours when someone else would take over to allow her to run errands.
How much was Griselda Lopez allegedly owed?
Her attorneys estimated that, counting her round-the-clock availability, Lopez worked up to 162 hours a week over those seven years, meaning her effective hourly pay was between 56 cents and $1.30. Her complaint sought more than $100,000 in unpaid wages for the three years not excluded by the statute of limitations. It also made a claim for unjust enrichment that, according to Lopez's attorneys, could have allowed her to recover unpaid wages for the full seven years of her employment.
What does the settlement mean?
The case had been scheduled for trial in November, but on Monday, Lopez filed to dismiss the case. The motion said "all matters of controversy have been settled by and between the parties."
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Although the notice of dismissal does not specify the settlement amount, court filings from March show the parties at that time were negotiating over a possible $120,000 settlement.
Attorneys for Lopez did not return messages inquiring about the settlement. Attorney Thomas Wolle, representing the Beyers, declined to comment.
William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa City caretaker settles $100,000-plus wage-theft lawsuit
