Fight on: Lawyer files suit on behalf of feds required to work during shutdown

A Washington attorney has made good on her pledge to file a class action lawsuit against the federal government over the current government shutdown. Heidi Burakiewicz, a partner at Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman and Fitch, filed the lawsuit Monday afternoon in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. It seeks back pay — including overtime — and liquidated damages for exempted employees forced to work without pay. Burakiewicz, who filed Monday’s action in conjunction with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), won a similar suit for 25,000 employees in the 2013 shutdown. Judge Patricia Elaine Campbell-Smith, then chief judge, sided with the plaintiffs. A consultant, Burakiewicz said, is still calculating the damages — equal to twice the pay for the shutdown period. She said because of the precedent from the 2013 case, she is confident the court will again decide in favor of the plaintiffs...MORE