Six childcare workers arrived for their scheduled shifts at a Southeast Washington day care center, only to find the locks had been changed. Parents bringing their children to the facility found the doors shut, with children’s belongings and medications still inside.
The business had closed without warning, and the employees would never receive their final paychecks, according to a lawsuit filed by D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb.
“We won’t let any company pocket the money that its hard-working employees have earned,” Schwalb said, announcing legal action against Little Samaritan Child Development Center Inc., now known as Little Swalih Education Center Inc., and its founder, owner, and chief executive Ode H. Hines.
The lawsuit, filed this month in the D.C. Superior Court, alleges that Hines and the now-defunct center withheld nearly $15,000 in wages from six employees after the facility’s sudden closure on July 26, 2024. The District seeks unpaid wages, additional damages, and civil penalties.
According to a court complaint, nine days before the shutdown, two board members who also worked at the facility confronted Hines about what they believed were unauthorized withdrawals of substantial sums from the center’s bank account, including a $200,000 withdrawal on Sept. 30, 2020.
On July 17, 2024, the two employees called a special board meeting to seek an explanation for the transactions.
Little Samaritan operated at 5100 E St. SE in Ward 7, offering childcare and developmental services for children ages six weeks to 12 years. According to court documents, the facility opened in 1999 under Hines’ leadership.
The lawsuit alleges that at least six workers continued performing their regular duties from July 16 through July 25, 2024. When several reported to work the next morning, they found themselves locked out. Families arrived expecting to drop off their children but discovered the facility had closed and that children’s personal belongings and medications were still inaccessible inside the building.
An employee contacted Hines that day. According to the lawsuit, he acknowledged that he remained the company’s CEO and retained control of its operations.
The center issued payments on July 26 for work performed from July 1 through July 15. However, prosecutors allege that employees received no compensation for their final days of work, their scheduled shifts on the day of the closure, or their accumulated annual leave.
According to the complaint, several workers repeatedly attempted to contact the defendants regarding the missing wages but received no response.
District law requires employers to pay discharged workers all wages owed by the next working day. Employees who ordinarily work more than four hours per day are also entitled to compensation for at least four hours if they report as instructed but are given no work or are sent home early.
The complaint alleges violations of the District’s Minimum Wage Revision Act and the Wage Payment and Collection Law. At the time of the closure, the District’s minimum wage was $17.50 per hour.
Prosecutors ask the court to hold Hines and the corporation jointly liable for unpaid wages, award treble liquidated damages, impose statutory penalties, and require payment of the District’s legal costs. The complaint also seeks an order prohibiting further violations of the wage laws.
The lawsuit names Hines individually, alleging that he exercised authority over the company’s operations and participated in, controlled, or approved the conduct in question.
Efforts to reach Hines, Little Swalih Education Center Inc., or its attorneys for comment were unsuccessful.
Schwalb warned that wage theft in the childcare industry can have consequences for families already struggling to find affordable care. Workers who cannot rely on receiving their paychecks may leave the profession, placing additional pressure on providers and parents.
“If childcare workers in D.C. fear that they might have their wages stolen, D.C. families will have fewer and more expensive childcare options,” Schwalb said. “When a business terminates workers, it is required by D.C. law to pay those workers the wages they are owed by the very next working day.”
The attorney general also said that his office is working to make sure Washingtonians are protected from similar incidents.
“We will continue to aggressively enforce our wage and hour laws to ensure childcare workers get paid every dollar that they have earned,” he said.
