Case Background
Christina Abdelmalak, a former non-exempt employee, filed a representative lawsuit on October 4, 2021, against her former employer, Prime Healthcare Anaheim, LLC, doing business as West Anaheim Medical Center. Abdelmalak worked for the company from June 2019 to August 2020 and brought the action under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) on behalf of herself, the State of California, and all other similarly aggrieved employees. The lawsuit alleged that the healthcare company systematically violated California labor laws by failing to pay proper wages and failing to provide required breaks to its staff.
Cause
The litigation centered on several alleged violations of the California Labor Code and Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) Wage Orders. Specifically, the Plaintiff claimed that the company failed to pay minimum and overtime wages, did not provide mandatory meal and rest periods, and failed to issue accurate, itemized wage statements.
Injury
Abdelmalak and other employees suffered financial losses because they were not compensated for all hours they worked. The Plaintiff highlighted that the company required employees to undergo mandatory COVID-19 health screenings before clocking in, which meant they performed necessary work duties while off the clock and without pay. Additionally, the company’s rounding policies and its failure to include non-discretionary bonuses in overtime rate calculations resulted in chronic underpayment.
Damages Sought
The Plaintiff sought the assessment of all civil penalties and remedies available under PAGA for the alleged Labor Code violations. This included penalties for unpaid wages, missed breaks, and inaccurate wage statements, as well as the recovery of reasonable attorneys' fees and legal costs.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
The legal proceedings began when Abdelmalak filed her representative enforcement action in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Bernardino. Before filing, she had notified the Labor and Workforce Development Agency (LWDA) of the specific violations, satisfying the administrative requirements to bring a PAGA suit.
Legal Representation
Plaintiff(s): Christina Abdelmalak | Paz Salvador
· Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Brian J. Mankin | Peter J. Carlson | Mehrdad Bokhour
Defendant(s): Prime Healthcare Anaheim, LLC.
Counsel for Defendant(s): Justin T. Curley | Geoffrey C. Westbrook | Phillip J. Ebsworth | Yoon-Woo Nam
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
The parties eventually moved away from active litigation to resolve the matter through a negotiated settlement. In January 2026, the Court reviewed a joint motion to approve the PAGA settlement, which the parties had reached to avoid the continued expense and uncertainty of trial.
Claims
Abdelmalak argued that the company’s policies directly led to wage theft. She contended that staff were frequently overwhelmed by heavy workloads, which prevented them from taking their legally mandated 30-minute meal breaks and 10-minute rest periods. She also claimed that the company’s payroll practices were flawed because they did not properly account for "shift differentials" and "California Stipends" when calculating overtime pay.
Defense
In its initial response filed on December 9, 2021, Prime Healthcare Anaheim, LLC issued a general denial of all allegations. The company argued that the complaint failed to state facts sufficient to constitute a claim and asserted that Abdelmalak had not exhausted all required administrative remedies before suing. The defense maintained that the Plaintiff and other employees had not been harmed by any act or omission of the company.
Settlement
Instead of a jury verdict, the parties reached a settlement agreement that the Court formally approved on January 7, 2026. The Court found the settlement to be fair, reasonable, and adequate for the state and the aggrieved employees.
The settlement covered a "PAGA Period" from July 30, 2020, through May 27, 2025. The total settlement amount reached was $1,835,000. Under the terms of the agreement, the Court entered judgment in the action and dismissed the claims with prejudice, effectively ending the litigation. The Court directed the Defendant to make all payments through a settlement administrator as outlined in the Joint Stipulation of PAGA Settlement. The Court retained exclusive jurisdiction to oversee the implementation and enforcement of the settlement terms.
Court documents are available upon request at jurimatic@exlitem.com
