Nevada could be on the hook for up to $100 million in damages and unpaid wages after prison guards scored a major victory in a long-running legal fight with the state Department of Corrections.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the state isn't shielded from liability in a federal lawsuit filed by guards who claim they should have been paid for tasks performed immediately before and after their shift started.
Reno-based labor attorney Mark Thierman represents more than 540 guards now signed onto the litigation. He told the Reno Gazette Journal his clients need an average of 45 minutes to complete pre- and post-work activities — including debriefings, equipment pick-ups and uniform inspections.
Former Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt had argued the state was immune from such claims.
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Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com
