Ochsner Health Wins Appeal of Worker’s Wage Suit (Corrected)

Ochsner Health System, Louisiana’s largest non-profit healthcare provider, successfully got a lawsuit brought by a former employee shut down, after the Fifth Circuit ruled Friday that federal overtime rules didn’t apply to him.

Daniel Smith made more than $120,000 annually and spent substantial time performing donor coordination and organ procurement work that was critical to Ochsner’s services, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit said.

Smith therefore fell within the Fair Labor Standards Act’s exception for “highly compensated” employees—those who earn more than $100,000 annually; customarily and regularly perform at least one exempt executive, administrative or professional task; ...