Increasingly, Chichester said, “There was no way” for employees to complete the work assignments within the confines of a 40-hour workweek.

“A few folks did try to submit [time sheets] for overtime, but it was kicked back,” he said. Employees, he added, were forbidden to submit time sheets claiming more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week of work. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers to pay for all hours worked and time-and-a-half pay for all hours over 40 worked by hourly workers per workweek.

When the employees complained, they were told to “do what it took to get the job done,” according to the complaint. Chichester said that if the title examiners fell behind, they would get written up for failing to complete their assigned tasks. “They were between a rock and a hard place,” he said. “They couldn’t do anything but [continue to] work. There were no jobs for deed dogs at the time except for foreclosures.”