CHARLESTON – At least four lawsuits have been filed against New Beginnings Drug Treatment for failing to timely pay salaries.
The West Virginia Division of Labor investigated New Beginnings and its owner, William Mucklow. The investigation was closed after Mucklow paid $24,000 he owed 13 of its former employees.
Four lawsuits have been filed in Kanawha Circuit Court against New Beginnings and Mucklow since July by Robert N. Meadows; Lorri J. Reed; Lisa P. Hanger and Noel Zuniga.
In May, more than 20 of New Beginnings’ employees went to computer training in Cross Lanes and were informed they were being laid off. He failed to pay the employees final wages. Thirteen of those employees then complained to the state and WVDOL’s investigation began.
The WVDOL expected Mucklow to pay the employees their final wages by July 1. They were finally paid about two weeks after the original deadline.
The plaintiffs claim Mucklow violated state law by laying the employees off and not paying them in a timely manner.
The plaintiffs, who were nurses working for New Beginnings, are seeking liquidated damages and with pre- and post-judgment interest. They are all being represented by Michael Addair and Todd Bailess.
Another lawsuit has been filed against Mucklow by the building owners of the Cross Lanes facility.
In that lawsuit, which was also filed in Kanawha Circuit Court in August by Jonathan Eya and Blessing Eya, the plaintiffs claim Mucklow owes $44,000 in rent.
They are seeking to evict Mucklow from the property. The Eyas are represented by Richard Lindroth.
Kanawha Circuit Court case numbers: 17-C-942, 17-C-1112, 17-C-1190, 17-C-1191, 17-C-1194