Case at a glance

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana
• Case: Russell v. eQHealth Solutions, Inc., No. 3:19-cv-00005-SDD-EWD (docket)
• Workers: 63 salaried workers who reviewed medical claims against medical-necessity criteria (care coordinators and utilization review staff)¹
• Claims: Unpaid overtime under the FLSA
• Key ruling: Conditionally certified as a collective action²
• Result: Settled the claims of 63 workers¹
• Settlement: $700,000 (approved Dec. 11, 2019, Doc. 87)
• Our role: Siegel Law Group was lead counsel

Part of our utilization review cases →

eQHealth utilization review staff settle their overtime case

The workers were salaried Care Coordinators and Utilization Review staff at eQHealth Solutions who reviewed medical claims against medical-necessity criteria. They alleged that they routinely worked more than 40 hours a week and were paid a flat salary, classified as exempt and paid no overtime.

The court conditionally certified the collective, and the case settled the claims of 63 workers.¹²

Read about the certification ruling →

The legal issue

The administrative exemption covers employees whose primary duty includes "the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance." 29 C.F.R. § 541.200(a)(3). Checking a request against criteria someone else wrote is not that. Whatever the job title, if the work is applying the insurer’s guidelines, the administrative exemption should not apply.

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If you did this kind of work for another employer and weren't paid overtime for hours over 40, tell us your job title, your employer and the state you worked in. We'll tell you plainly whether we think you have a case. Federal law makes it illegal to retaliate against you for asking.

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About Siegel Law Group

Siegel Law Group PLLC concentrates in unpaid overtime cases under the FLSA and state wage laws. The firm has filed more than 100 federal overtime cases, obtained 50+ class and collective certifications in 20 federal judicial districts across 15 states, and recovered more than $100 million for workers. It has never represented an employer in a wage case. Free consultation. Contingency fee: we advance case costs, and they are repaid from any recovery. No recovery, no fee and no costs. Phone: (214) 790-4454 | Email: [email protected]

These are results in other people's cases. Every case depends on its own facts and law. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. This website contains attorney advertising.

Attorney responsible: Jack L. Siegel, Siegel Law Group PLLC, Dallas, Texas.

Notes

1. Declaration of Jack Siegel ¶ 13(c), filed in Weeks v. Matrix Absence Mgmt., No. 2:20-cv-00884 (D. Ariz. July 6, 2022) (Russell: "settled claims of 63 individuals classified as exempt under the FLSA who reviewed medical claims to see if they met medical necessity criteria").
2. Declaration of Jack L. Siegel ¶ 5(g), Heckle v. Matrix Absence Mgmt., Inc., No. 7:21-cv-01463 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 21, 2022) ("Conditionally certified as a collective action.").