State lawsuit seeks back pay for workers

LEWISTON – The state has filed a lawsuit against the defunct Richardson Hollow Mental Health Services of Lewiston and its owner, saying the company owes 133 former employees more than $177,000 in back pay and unpaid vacation time.

Richardson Hollow closed its doors in mid-September. Sweetser, a Saco-based mental health agency, took over the company’s clients and hired many of its workers.

The Department of Labor’s suit charges that former workers never received a paycheck for their last week of work. It alleges most people are owed between $300 and $700 in pay for that week. The suit seeks that money plus interest and attorney’s fees and also asks the court to order Richardson Hollow and owner Linda Hertell to pay workers twice the amount owed because of the losses they suffered when Richardson Hollow breached its contract with them.