In July 2015, plaintiff Jesse Woodman-Pena, a temporary general manager for Edgewater Beach Inn & Suites, a motel in Santa Cruz, was allegedly instructed that he was required to remain on the premises most hours of the day and night, except for the limited occasions when there was a relief manager to cover for him. He also claimed that he was required to remain on-call after his shifts and that he was expected to perform work duties, even after the office closed. He later became a permanent general manager at the motel. However, Woodman-Pena claimed that instead of being paid compensation for the extra work performed from July 2015 to October 2017, he had to pay rent on the manager’s apartment at the motel where he was required to stay. Plaintiff Kayla Staats, a housekeeper at Edgewater Beach Inn & Suites, in Santa Cruz, claimed that she was also not paid the appropriate wages and that as a result, she ultimately resigned from her position on Oct. 26, 2017. Woodman-Pena and Staats sued the business entity that operated Edgewater Beach Inn & Suites, Mary L. Gardella 1991 Trust, and the individual owner of the motel, Winifred Alexander. Woodman-Pena and Staats alleged that they were not paid overtime wages, given meal or rest breaks, or paid minimum wage at the motel. They alleged that the defendants’ actions were in violation of the California Labor Code. Defense counsel contended that the defendants provided the manager’s apartment for Woodman-Pena as part of his compensation. Counsel also denied the claims that Woodman-Pena, Staats or anyone else was not paid the appropriate rate or not provided the appropriate meal or rest breaks., Woodman-Pena worked for the motel from July 2015 to October 2017. Staats worked at the motel until Oct. 26, 2017. They sought recovery for their lost wages as a result of not being paid the appropriate rates based on the amount of minimum wage and the overtime hours worked. They also sought recovery of damages as a result of being denied appropriate meal and rest breaks. Plaintiffs’ counsel asked the court to award damages for Woodman-Pena, Staats andv other aggrieved employees, such as Joyce Machalik and Lori Moser, under the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act, which authorizes aggrieved employees to file lawsuits to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees, and the state of California for Labor Code violations.