NEW YORK, Oct. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Auto dealer giant Bill Heard
Enterprises, Inc. allegedly violated federal labor law when thousands of
employees throughout the nation were terminated just before the company
sought bankruptcy protection on Sept. 28, according to lawyers for a former
company worker who sued Friday in Alabama federal bankruptcy court.
According to the Complaint, Bill Heard Enterprises, Inc., and about two
dozen affiliated companies, were required by the federal Worker Adjustment
and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act to give at least 60 days advance
written notice of the employee terminations and continue paying certain
wages, salary, and benefits during the notice period in accordance with
federal law.
Former Bill Heard employee Edward Kratzel, who worked at a Bill Heard
facility in Las Vegas until Sept. 24, filed suit in the U.S. Bankruptcy
Court District in Decatur, Alabama.
Mr. Kratzel is represented by Adam T. Klein, Jack A. Raisner, and Rene
S. Roupinian, of Outten & Golden LLP, of New York; and Mark P. Williams, of
Norman, Wood, Kendrick & Turner, of Birmingham, Alabama.
The suit seeks WARN Act-required wages, salary, commissions, bonuses,
accrued holiday pay, accrued vacation pay, pension and 401(k)
contributions, and other benefits that would have been paid or covered
during the notice period, and attorneys' fees and litigation-related costs.
The workers' legal team has sought to have the lawsuit certified as a
class action that includes all persons who were terminated without cause at
Bill Heard-owned facilities in Georgia, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Nevada,
Tennessee, and Texas on or about Sept. 24. The companies, which sold the
Chevrolet, Cadillac and Saab brands, are headquartered in Columbus, Georgia
and included the largest Chevrolet dealership in the nation.
Attorney Jack A. Raisner, of Outten & Golden LLP, stated, "We allege
that the Bill Heard employees are entitled to the protections of the WARN
Act. Employers bound by the WARN Act and other labor laws cannot be allowed
to compound the difficulties of abruptly laid-off employees. It's time for
'Mr. Big Volume,' as Mr. Heard called himself, to ensure that his employees
survive this transition in accordance with the law."
Mr. Kratzel stated, "Employees of the Bill Heard companies around the
nation should have been given more time to prepare for the closing of
company facilities. Because of the WARN Act, we hope that this lawsuit will
prevent employers like Bill Heard from avoiding their obligations to the
workers who helped him generate billions of dollars of revenue through the
years."
The case is "Edward Kratzel on behalf of himself and all others
similarly situated, v. Bill Heard Enterprises, Inc, et al.," Case No.
08-80154-JAC, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court District for the Northern
District of Alabama, Northern Division.
The defendants are Bill Heard Enterprises, Inc., Bill Heard Chevrolet
Company, Tom Jumper Chevrolet, Inc., Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc. -
Huntsville, Landmark Chevrolet, Ltd., Bill Heard Chevrolet, Ltd., Bill
Heard Chevrolet Corporation Nashville, Bill Heard Chevrolet Corporation -
Orlando, Bill Heard Chevrolet Inc. - Union City, Bill Heard Chevrolet at
Town Center, LLC, Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc. - Collierville, Bill Heard
Chevrolet, Inc. - Scottsdale, Bill Heard Chevrolet, Inc. - Plant City, Bill
Heard Chevrolet Corporation - Las Vegas, Bill Heard Chevrolet Corporation -
N.W. Las Vegas, Twentieth Century Land Corp., Enterprise Aviation, Inc.,
Century Land Corporation, Century Land Company - Tennessee, Bill Heard
Management, LLC, Landmark Vehicle Mgt., LLC, Georgia Service Group, LLC,
and Columbus Transportation, LLC.
Attorney Contacts: Jack A. Raisner and Rene S. Roupinian, Outten &
Golden LLP, New York, (212) 245-1000, http://www.warnlawyers.com.
Media Contact: Erin Powers, Powers MediaWorks LLC, for Outten & Golden
LLP, (281) 703-6000 or (281) 362-1411.
SOURCE Outten & Golden LLP
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Related links:
http://www.warnlawyers.com
CONTACT:
Erin Powers of Powers MediaWorks LLC,
+1-281-703-6000 or +1-281-362-1411, for Outten & Golden LLP
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