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YOU ASK. WE INVESTIGATE. Dozens of Las Vegas assisted living facility employees missing paychecks

Posted at 11:53 PM, Apr 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-04 03:12:03-04

Dozens of employees claim they are missing weeks of paychecks from a local assisted living facility.
 
Employees at the former Willow Creek Assisted Living say they are missing checks for three weeks of work.
 
"This is how you pay your employees, people that have been loyal," said Marlene Merritt, a caregiver at the assisted living facility.
 
Merritt claims because of the missing paycheck she now has an eviction notice on her door.
 
"I have a five-day notice to pay or I'm going to get evicted, because I've been waiting on a paycheck," Merritt said.
 
Merritt isn't the only one missing checks. 13 Action News spoke to nearly half a dozen Willow Creek employees who are still waiting to get paid.
 
"It's 30 to 40 people suffering from this," said caregiver Jessie Hernandez, who worked for Willow Creek for nearly five years.
 
To make matters worse, days before employees say they were supposed to be paid, Willow Creek sold the business to another company.
 
13 Action News attempted to reach the owners for answer, but they told us we needed to call someone else, because they would not comment. Despite leaving behind the assisted living facility, Willow Creek also owns a memory care facility just blocks away.
 
"We want to live a normal life, we cannot live a normal life like this," Hernandez said.
 
The labor board told 13 Action News they are investigating claims against Willow Creek, but the process would take up to 90 days.
 
Employees are now left scrambling trying to figure out how they'll pay any bills.
 
"What do you do when your hands are tied and your back is against the wall?" Merritt asked.
 
Willow Creek Assisted Living was taken over by Desert View Assisted Living. Employees said they had no problems with their new owner.