A judge has given final approval to a $490,000 gross settlement of a lawsuit brought against Bob Baffert Racing by a horse groomer who alleged various state labor code violations at Los Alamitos Race Course.
Ruben Ortiz Salgado’s proposed class-action Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleged are that the workers were not paid all overtime owed, were denied some meal and rest breaks and were not compensated for business-related expenses.
During a hearing Thursday, Judge Elihu M. Berle found the accord to be “fair, reasonable and adequate.” Under the terms, the net settlement amount after $163,333 in attorneys’ fees and other deductions are made will be about $252,362.
Baffert Racing hired Salgado in June 2023 and his job duties at the Los Alamitos Race Track included taking care of the same five horses and cleaning their stable, a job in which he generally worked six days a week at $15.50 per hour, according to the suit filed in January 2024.
However, Salgado, of Cypress, and the workers were not paid for all hours worked and consistently worked “off the clock” because the company had a policy and practice of rounding down work hours to the detriment of employees, the suit alleged.
Baffert Racing also required Salgado to work beyond his work shift by returning to work the same day to get food and water ready for the horses and leave the same items for the horses until the next day, the suit stated.
The organization had no formal system to clock in and out and Salgado was not required to fill out time sheets, according the suit, which further stated that Baffert Racing manufactured pay stubs that looked like they have accurate numbers on them, including the hourly rate and hours worked.
Salgado’s biweekly pay stubs always listed 80 hours of work, the plaintiff contended.
“The total hours worked on the pay stubs are manufactured numbers, created out of thin air to give the pay stubs the air of legitimacy,” the suit stated.
Baffert Racing also does not provide all required or timely rest and meal periods, according to the suit.
“In fact, plaintiff never received any meal breaks whatsoever, despite his shifts being longer than five hours,” the complaint alleged.
Baffert Racing additionally had not reimbursed Salgado and other workers for business expenses, including using their personal cell phones to talk about business matters with management, according to the suit, which further alleged employees are not always fully paid for wages owed when they quit or are terminated.