A former registered nurse at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing the Tacoma-based health system of systematically shorting non-exempt employees on wages and denying legally required meal and rest breaks. Sylvia Marin, who worked at the Puyallup hospital from roughly August 2021 to February 2025, says she and potentially dozens of coworkers were never paid what they were owed.
Marin’s attorney filed the complaint in Pierce County Superior Court on August 10, according to The News Tribune, which first reported the suit. The complaint accuses MultiCare of systematic violations of Washington’s wage-and-hour laws, including failure to pay wages earned in prior and final pay periods, failure to pay final paychecks at the end of an established pay period, and failure to compensate employees for missed and otherwise unlawful meal periods and rest breaks. It also alleges a willful refusal to pay wages, a characterization that matters under state law.
What the Lawsuit Claims Happened on the Floor
Marin worked as a non-exempt RN at Good Samaritan roughly three days a week, with shifts lasting 12 hours or longer, the outlet’s report states. The complaint alleges MultiCare failed to pay Marin and the proposed class all wages due, including unpaid regular, minimum, and overtime wages. The proposed class as described in the complaint would include at least 30 current and former non-exempt employees.
Washington law sets specific rules for shifts of that length. Under Washington Administrative Code WAC 296-126-092, non-exempt workers are entitled to an unpaid 30-minute meal period for any shift over five hours and a paid rest break for every four hours worked, and any interrupted or duty-restricted meal period must be paid as work time, according to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Separately, RCW 49.12.480 requires hospitals to provide direct patient-care employees with uninterrupted meal and rest breaks, a standard the Washington State Nurses Association notes has driven quarterly missed-break compliance reporting for acute care hospitals, with new voluntary break-waiver flexibility taking effect under HB 1879 in January 2026.
Why the Willfulness Claim Raises the Stakes
The willful-refusal allegation is significant because Washington is one of the few states offering mandatory double damages for willful wage non-payment. Under RCW 49.52.070, employers who willfully withhold earned wages or miss final paychecks face statutory double damages equal to twice the unpaid amount, plus mandatory attorney’s fees and court costs. Marin is seeking damages to be determined at trial, along with attorneys’ fees and interest, and her suit seeks formal class-action status…