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- calendar_today October 15, 2026
District Files Lawsuit Against Closed Childcare Center
The District of Columbia has launched a lawsuit against a now-defunct childcare center, Little Samaritan Child Development Center, over allegations of wage theft and violations of employee rights following its abrupt closure two years ago.
Unpaid Wages at the Heart of Legal Dispute
According to the office of D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb, the owner of Little Samaritan Child Development Center failed to pay six employees for their final week of work when the center suddenly closed. The attorney general is seeking to recover $15,000 in unpaid wages, as well as damages for the affected workers and additional penalties related to DC law violations concerning employee wages.
Details of the Abrupt Closure
The lawsuit states that the center, led by owner and CEO Ode Hines, shut its doors on July 26, 2024. Employees and parents received no advance notice of the closure. The personal belongings and medications of children were left locked inside the facility. Despite multiple attempts by employees to contact Hines, they report never receiving a response.
Legal Obligations and Wage Enforcement in DC
Under DC law, employers are required to pay all owed wages following a termination, and must do so no later than the next working day. Attorney General Schwalb emphasized the importance of wage enforcement for childcare workers, stating, "We will continue to aggressively enforce our wage and hour laws to ensure childcare workers get paid every dollar that they have earned. 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."
Board Concerns Over Financial Management
Court documents also reveal that two of the unpaid employees served on the center's board. On July 17, 2024, the board held a special meeting to address concerns about "Hines’s purported unauthorized withdrawals of funds from Little Samaritan’s bank account, including a withdrawal of $200,000.00 on September 30, 2020."
Ongoing Focus on Childcare Center Closures
The case against Little Samaritan Child Development Center highlights ongoing legal challenges and enforcement efforts in the area of wage theft and abrupt childcare center closures. The District’s lawsuit aims both to recover unpaid wages for impacted employees and to deter future violations of employee rights.
Source: wtop.com.
