On July 8, a U.S. district judge certified the class action lawsuit against Laser Spine Institute, the Tampa-based outpatient spine surgery center chain, brought by former employees after the company closed its doors, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal.
Five things to know:
1. Three employees initially alleged that Laser Spine Institute did not give employees 60 days of written notice before termination, which violates the Federal Worker Adjustment and Restraining Notification Act. One of the former employees has withdrawn his motion.
2. Laser Spine Institute terminated employees when the company closed its doors in March.
3. According to the lawsuit, damages have the potential to exceed $7 million when calculating back wages, benefits, pensions, paid holidays and more for all employees who were laid off.
4. There were around 500 people laid off by Laser Spine Institute, including 354 who were terminated on March 1. The layoffs included physicians, surgeons and nurses as well as non-clinical staff.
5. Laser Spine Institute filed a WARN notice to the state of Florida on March 4.