On October 8, 2015, a former vice president of marketing filed a lawsuit in the District Court of Minnesota seeking overtime pay from Gradient Insurance Brokerage, Inc. and Gradient Financial Group, LLC (“Gradient”). She brought the case on behalf of herself and all other individuals in similar positions nationwide who were paid commissions with no additional overtime premium. Plaintiff’s complaint alleges that Gradient unlawfully failed to pay these individuals an overtime premium in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The lawsuit seeks overtime premiums, plus double damages.
Gradient is a financial marketing organization which offers various financial services to independent financial services professionals including insurance, investment advisory services, asset management, securities, mortgage banking, and the KonnexME platform. The company has an office in Arden Hills, Minnesota and another in Topeka, Kansas.
Plaintiff’s attorney Matthew H. Morgan stated, “Gradient demanded these employees work long hours. By misclassifying them as exempt, Gradient denied them overtime premiums non-exempt employees should receive. Through this lawsuit, we seek to get them paid the overtime premiums provided by law.”
Plaintiffs are represented by Matthew H. Morgan and Eleanor E. Frisch from Nichols Kaster, PLLP in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The case is entitled, Jacobs v. Gradient Insurance Brokerage, Inc. et al, Case No 0:15-cv-03820 (District of Minnesota).
Additional information about how to make a claim in the case may be found at www.nka.com or by calling Nichols Kaster, PLLP toll free at (877) 344-4628.