Employer record, U.S. Labor Department investigations

Sun World Wage and Hour Cases in California

Benjamin Eghbali, Esq.Legal notes by Benjamin Eghbali, Esq.

Sun World: 6 investigations, $6,597 in back wages for 1 workers, latest closed Jan 18, 2015.

Every federal wage and hour case closed in California since 2004 and a handful before: 30,596 investigations, 23,910 employers, $472,441,289 in back wages for 335,130 workers.

Sun World wage and hour record at a glance

Sun World appears in 6 concluded Wage and Hour Division investigations in California, closed between Nov 15, 2007 and Jan 18, 2015. 4 of them found violations, 9 in all, and the employer agreed to pay $6,597 in back wages to 1 workers, with no civil money penalty assessed. Of the back wages, $6,597 was unpaid overtime and $0 unpaid minimum wage under the federal standard. The largest single case closed Nov 10, 2013 in Coachella with $6,597 for 1 workers. That places the employer at #7,014 of 23,910 California employers in the database by back wages.

Industry as coded by the Division: Orange Groves. Laws involved: FLSA, farm labor (MSPA).

Every case, newest first

Case closedPeriod investigatedCityFindingsBack wagesWorkers paidPenaltiesLaws
Jan 18, 2015Jan 2015 to Jan 2015Coachellano violations found000
Nov 10, 2013Nov 2011 to Nov 2013Coachella2 violations$6,59710FLSA
Jun 2, 2011May 2011 to Jun 2011Bakersfield1 violation000farm labor (MSPA)
May 31, 2011Jan 2011 to May 2011Bakersfield3 violations000farm labor (MSPA)
Aug 22, 2010Jul 2010 to Aug 2010Bakersfieldno violations found000
Nov 15, 2007Oct 2007 to Nov 2007Coachella3 violations000FLSA, farm labor (MSPA)

Also filed as: Sun World, Inc; Sun World International, Inc; Sun World International LLC; Sun World International, LLC; Sun World International, LLC.

Local pages: Bakersfield employment lawyer.

How to read this record

Each row is one federal investigation. Period investigated is the span of payroll the Division reviewed, usually two years back from the complaint. Back wages is what the employer agreed to pay for that period at the federal rate; penalties went to the government, not to workers.

Back wages computed under the federal law are usually a fraction of the California number for the same hours: the state minimum is $16.90 in 2026, overtime starts after 8 hours in a day, and each missed meal or rest period adds an hour of pay. Workers paid in these cases may still be owed that difference, and the federal release form covers only the federal claim.

Full explainer: what a Labor Department case is, and what it is not.

If you work, or worked, at Sun World

Pull together your pay stubs and your own record of hours for the last three years, request your pay records in writing (the employer has 21 days under Labor Code 226), and keep any WH-58 receipt from a Labor Department payment. A free review tells you in one call whether the California numbers exceed what was paid, whether break premiums and waiting time penalties apply, and whether anything that happened after you complained counts as retaliation. Call (800) 371-3088 or send your stubs.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division enforcement database, California cases. Record last checked Oct 30, 2026. Back to the wage theft tracker.

About this data: Cases come from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division enforcement database (WHD compliance actions concluded since fiscal year 2005, California employers only), published by the Department of Labor and reloaded here every month. "Back wages" are amounts the employer agreed to pay at the close of the investigation; "penalties" are civil money penalties assessed. An investigation that found no violation is listed as such. The database does not include California Labor Commissioner cases or private lawsuits. This page is general information, not legal advice about your situation.

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