Sarah Mills, a former employee of a bridal boutique, has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging multiple labor law violations. The complaint was filed by Sarah Mills in the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura on January 17, 2025, targeting Bella Bridal Couture, LLC and its owner Melissa Morhar.
The lawsuit accuses Bella Bridal Couture and Melissa Morhar of failing to pay due wages, including overtime compensation, not providing meal and rest periods as required by law, and issuing inaccurate wage statements. Sarah Mills claims that during her four-year tenure at the Thousand Oaks-based bridal store, she often worked long hours without receiving appropriate overtime pay or breaks. Despite being one of the top salespersons with over $1 million in sales, Mills alleges that she was subjected to unfair business practices designed to minimize employee compensation while maximizing company profits. According to the complaint, these practices included not reporting all hours worked on wage statements and coercing employees into taking shorter breaks than legally mandated.
Mills further contends that her working conditions deteriorated significantly due to management's negligence in ordering dresses on time, leading to customer dissatisfaction and stress for her. This situation reportedly forced her to take medical leave and eventually resign. Additionally, she claims that her final paycheck bounced due to insufficient funds. In response to these grievances, Mills had previously requested access to her personnel and payroll records in September 2024 but did not receive a timely or complete response from the defendants.
The plaintiff is seeking various forms of relief from the court. These include unpaid wages for regular and overtime work, penalties for missed meal and rest breaks, statutory damages for inaccurate wage statements up to $4,000 per violation period as stipulated by California Labor Code § 226 et seq., as well as punitive damages for alleged retaliation following complaints about labor code violations. Furthermore, Mills demands injunctive relief requiring Bella Bridal Couture to adhere strictly to labor laws moving forward.
Representing Sarah Mills are attorneys Kevin S. Wattles and Steven S. Nimoy from Soltman & Wattles LLP. The case is presided over by an unnamed judge under Case No. 2025 CUYYTOS? 294 in the Ventura Superior Court.