Labor Dept. Recovers $24K Back Pay for Jackson Hotel Staff

Employers: Dada Guru Hospitality Inc. operating as Quality Inn, Jackson, Michigan

Prakash Patel

Pratyush Patel

Actions: U.S. Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act consent judgment

Courts: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Court Action: The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $11,969.50 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages for a total of $23,939 for two front desk employees. An investigation by the Wage and Hour Division found Dada Guru Hospitality Inc. and its owner/operators Prakash Patel and Pratyush Patel paid two front desk workers a flat monthly rate ‒ regardless of the number of hours worked ‒ resulting in minimum wage and overtime violations.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan entered the consent judgment and order against the family-owned hospitality company on August 8, 2024, resolving a complaint filed by the department on March 4, 2024, after an investigation by the Wage and Hour Division found the violations.

Dada Guru Hospitality Inc. operates 11 hotels in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.

Quote: “Two workers will now receive the wages they rightfully earned from their employer. The Fair Labor Standards Act has required the payment of overtime for most employees for hours over 40 in a workweek for decades,” said Wage and Hour District Director Mary O’Rourke in Grand Rapids. “The department will continue to hold employers responsible when they fail to abide by the law.”

Public Release.