Suzanne Hawk v. Dog Sciences d/b/a Unleashed Academy & Mary Davies

An employer cannot misclassify employees as “independent contractors” in order to avoid having to pay minimum wage and overtime.

On February 1, 2023, Suzanne Hawk, a former dog trainer (also known as a Behaviorist), filed a class action lawsuit against Dog Sciences and Mary Davies alleging that Defendants improperly designated her as an “independent contractor” so as to avoid paying minimum wages and overtime compensation. A copy of Ms. Hawk’s  class action lawsuit is available here.

On August 11, 2023, the Spokane County Superior Court granted Ms. Hawk’s motion to certify her class action lawsuit. A copy of the Court’s class certification order is available here. The class that the Court certified is:

“all persons who have worked as dog trainers or Behaviorists and classified as Independent Contractors for Defendants in Washington at any time between January 31, 2020 and the date of the final disposition of this action.”

On October 5, 2023, the Court approved Ms. Hawk’s motion to amend her class action notice to include the following language: “Mary Davies, Dog Sciences, LLC, and their agents may not communicate with you about this notice or lawsuit and may not retaliate against you for not opting out of the class.” A copy of this Court order is available here.

The Court approved Class Action Notice is available here.