Long Island Care at Home, Ltd. v. Coke

In Long Island Care at Home, Ltd. v. Coke, the plaintiff, a home healthcare worker (Evelyn Coke) filed a lawsuit against the defendant Long Island Care at Home, Ltd (the healthcare worker's employer); the suit argued that Long Island Care at Home, Ltd. failed to the pay the plaintiff the required hourly wage and overtime as deemed by law. Coke, an elderly Jamaican woman had the support of the union when the suit was filed; she was seeking the minimum wage and overtime payments that she believed that she was entitled to as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Coke, having offered elderly companionship, believed she was entitled to pay for the services she offered to elderly men and women. Meanwhile, Long Island Care at Home argued that Coke did not have entitlement to said payments based on United States Department of Labor regulations.

The District court sided with the defendant and Coke appealed the case. The Court of Appeals reversed the District Court decision, but the Supreme Court supported the initial decision made in the District Court. The outcome; Coke lost the lawsuit against Long Island Care at Home, Ltd. and the court ruling asserts that employees that offer domestic services are not protected by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Thus, when an employee works in a domestic service position, if the services are offered within the home, the employer is not required by law to pay a minimum wage or to compensate for overtime.

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