GEO Group Denied Rehearing of $23.2 Million Wage Verdict (1)

A federal appeals court denied a private prison operator’s request to rehear its appeal of a $23.2 million jury verdict over violations of Washington state minimum wage law.

A split three-judge panel at the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the jury verdict in January. The state minimum wage applied to all employers, including federal contractors, it found.

The Trump administration backed GEO Group’s request for a rehearing by the full Ninth Circuit, arguing that a voluntary work program for immigrant detainees in the state could be nixed if the panel decision is allowed to stand. ...