In a significant legal move, a former employee has filed a class and collective action lawsuit against a major healthcare provider, alleging systematic wage violations. The complaint was lodged by Ebone Jones in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on February 20, 2026, targeting Montefiore Medical Center and Montefiore Health Systems, Inc.
Ebone Jones, who worked as a Medical Audit Analyst at Montefiore from 2021 to 2025, claims that the healthcare giant has been engaging in unlawful employment practices. According to the complaint, Montefiore misclassified its Medical Audit Analysts and Senior Medical Audit Analysts as exempt from overtime pay under federal and state laws. This classification allegedly led to analysts working more than 40 hours per week without receiving appropriate overtime compensation. Jones asserts that this practice violates both the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and New York Labor Law (NYLL). The lawsuit highlights that analysts’ primary duties are clerical in nature, involving data validation and entry without exercising discretion or independent judgment—criteria necessary for exemption from overtime pay.
The plaintiff is seeking recovery of unpaid overtime wages along with liquidated damages and statutory penalties under FLSA and NYLL. Furthermore, the suit demands injunctive relief to prevent future violations by Montefiore. The case also calls for accurate wage statements and notices as mandated by law, which were allegedly not provided by Montefiore. This lack of transparency reportedly facilitated ongoing wage theft by obscuring information about owed overtime compensation.
Jones’s lawsuit seeks class certification for all similarly situated employees within New York who have been affected by these practices over the past three years. She argues that these violations were willful and part of a broader policy affecting numerous employees across Montefiore’s operations. The legal action aims to secure fair compensation for affected workers while compelling Montefiore to adhere strictly to labor laws regarding employee classification and wage payments.
Representing Ebone Jones are attorneys Molly Brooks and Emma R. Janger from Outten & Golden LLP’s New York office, alongside Allison I. Aaronson from their San Francisco office. The case is presided over in the Southern District of New York under Case ID 1:26-cv-01460.
Source: 126cv1460_Ebone_Jones_v_Montefiore_Medical_Complaint_Southern_District_of_New_York.pdf
