Court orders Detroit home care services owner to be imprisoned over subpoena compliance

FILE - A sign stands outside the Department of Labor's headquarters in Washington, May 6, 2020. The U.S. House has failed to override President Joe Bidens first veto on Thursday, March 23, 2023. The House was trying to override Biden's veto of a Republican-led bill that would have banned the consideration of environmental, social or governance issues in investment decisions. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) (Patrick Semansky, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

DETROIT – A federal court has ordered the owner of a Detroit-area senior home care services company to be imprisoned until she complies with a federal subpoena in an investigation over unpaid wages for employees.

An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for Rosie Guthrie, owner of Genesis Homecare Services, by U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman of the Eastern District of Michigan. The judge said she’d be held until requested records are provided to the U.S. Department of Labor.

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In 2022, the Wage and Hour Division recovered $14.9 million in back wages for healthcare employees nationwide.

“The court has upheld the U.S. Department of Labor’s authority to investigate and obtain information about wages, hours and other employment practices and question employees to determine if an employer is complying with federal law. The court has ordered Rosie Guthrie confined until she complies with the court’s orders and produces the documents that will allow the department to complete its compliance review,” said Regional Solicitor of Labor Christine Heri in Chicago. “Complying with administrative subpoenas issued by the department is not optional, and the department will pursue all avenues to enforce the law.”

In 2022, the Wage and Hour Division recovered $14.9 million in back wages for healthcare employees nationwide.

“The opening of a Wage and Hour Division investigation does not mean we will find violations. By refusing to cooperate, Rosie Guthrie now faces imprisonment,” said Regional Wage and Hour Administrator Michael Lazzeri in Chicago. “Our investigation of Genesis Homecare Services is part of our broader focus on the home care staffing industry — one in which we often identify violations — to protect the rights of women and people in marginalized communities employed in the industry who depend on every dollar they earn.”

Genesis Homecare Services provides home care staffing needs to assist seniors and others with limited mobility to live independently in their homes by providing home care services. The company serves the greater Detroit area including Wayne, Lower Oakland, and Macomb counties.


About the Author

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.

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