A former employee alleges that she was not paid minimum wage for her work and faced retaliation after raising concerns about her compensation, according to a federal court filing. The complaint was filed by Laverne Dixon on March 13, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against First Congregational United Church of Christ and Dwight Andrews.
According to the filing, Dixon began working as Outreach Director for the church in May 2017. Her responsibilities included responding to urgent calls from individuals seeking assistance at all hours, securing rental and utility aid for people in need, arranging emergency hotel placements for unhoused individuals, making home and hospital visits, performing administrative tasks as directed by Andrews, and frequently traveling throughout Georgia. Dixon states that she regularly transported people using her personal vehicle to medical appointments, shelters, and hotels.
The complaint asserts that there was no written job description for Dixon’s role during her employment. She claims she consistently worked 40 hours per week but was not paid on an hourly basis. Instead, Dixon reports being paid less than minimum wage throughout her tenure. For example, she alleges that in 2022 she received $336 per month regardless of hours worked. At times she was paid as an independent contractor with no payroll taxes withheld; at other times she received a W-2 despite no change in duties. A W-2 issued for 2018 reportedly showed total annual wages of $1,845—approximately $35.50 per week—which Dixon claims did not meet minimum wage requirements.
Dixon further alleges that while mileage reimbursement began in 2020, Andrews remarked in 2021 that she received more money from mileage than from salary. The church is said to have acknowledged both the lack of a job description and that this contributed to an expansion of Dixon’s assignments.
The lawsuit details how Dixon raised concerns about her pay with both Andrews and the church’s Personnel Committee beginning in January 2023. In response to these complaints, Andrews requested detailed activity reports from Dixon—a requirement not previously enforced until after she questioned her compensation. Despite providing these reports as requested to an officer of the employer named Donald Sykes, Dixon claims payment issues persisted.
On January 8, 2024, Dixon filed a formal grievance with the Personnel Committee regarding inadequate pay. A meeting followed on March 12 where both parties discussed their positions; Andrews submitted a written response on the same day. On March 20, 2024, the Personnel Committee determined not to increase Dixon’s budgeted compensation but agreed to provide a one-time lump sum payment between $5,000 and $8,000 for additional tasks performed outside her initial role—with exact amount undetermined at that time—and recommended engaging a professional counselor to facilitate discussions between Andrews and Dixon.
Despite these steps toward resolution—including meetings facilitated by an outside professional—Dixon alleges continued withholding of pay by Andrews pending submission of further activity reports even though such documentation had already been provided. She also claims retaliation following complaints: disparaging remarks made by Andrews during meetings (including calling her “dumb,” “stupid,” and “unqualified”), withholding final pay after termination effective August 1, 2024 (communicated via letter dated July 31), refusal to disburse promised funds following retention of legal counsel by Dixon, and termination shortly after speaking out at a Church Council meeting about unpaid wages.
The lawsuit brings five counts: failure to pay minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), retaliation under FLSA for protected activity related to wage complaints, promissory estoppel based on alleged promises of compensation relied upon by Dixon to her detriment, unjust enrichment through acceptance of services without fair payment, and attorney’s fees due to alleged bad faith conduct by defendants.
Dixon seeks several remedies including declaratory judgment confirming FLSA violations; recovery of unpaid wages; liquidated damages; compensatory damages; reinstatement or front pay; prejudgment interest; attorney’s fees; costs; and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
The case is identified as Civil Action No. 1:26-cv-01413-SEG in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division. Jamala S. McFadden of The Employment Law Solution LLC represents Laverne Dixon.
Source: 126cv01413_Laverne_Dixon_v_First_Congregational_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Georiga.pdf
