ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST CHICAGO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY AND OWNER FOR UNPAID WAGES AND WORKER MISCLASSIFICATION

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST CHICAGO CONSTRUCTION COMPANY AND OWNER FOR UNPAID WAGES AND WORKER MISCLASSIFICATION

November 04, 2025

Raoul's Office Seeking Unpaid Wages, Damages and Interest for Impacted Workers

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul today filed a lawsuit against PMJ Enterprises Inc. (PMJ) and its owner and president, Jose T. Espiritu, over allegations the Chicago construction company misclassified workers as independent contractors and failed to pay employees hundreds of thousands of dollars in owed overtime wages.

"In Illinois, we will not allow employers to skirt the law by misclassifying their employees as independent contractors," Raoul said. "My office will continue to fight to ensure workers are protected from misclassification and violations of their right to be paid what they are owed under the law."

An investigation by Raoul's Workplace Rights Bureau revealed that PMJ misclassified workers as independent contractors and paid some of their wages through money orders and checks issued by pass-through companies. Raoul's lawsuit also alleges PMJ underreported its wages to the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) in order to avoid paying required unemployment insurance contributions.

According to Attorney General Raoul's lawsuit, PMJ allegedly violated the Illinois Minimum Wage Law by failing to pay overtime wages. Illinois' Minimum Wage Law requires employers to pay non-exempt employees at 1 1/2 times their regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Raoul's office alleges PMJ violated the law by failing to pay overtime rates when workers worked more than 40 hours. Raoul's lawsuit also alleges PMJ violated the Employee Classification Act, which sets standards for when an employer can classify individuals that provide construction services as independent contractors. An employer is in violation of the law if it fails to properly classify construction workers.

Raoul's lawsuit seeks to recover all owed wages, statutory damages, interest and penalties available under the statutes. It also seeks injunctive relief requiring PMJ and Espiritu to cease any future violations.

Attorney General Raoul's Workplace Rights Bureau protects and advances the employment rights of all Illinois residents, particularly the state's most vulnerable residents and immigrant populations. The bureau investigates and litigates cases involving serious or persistent wage law violations or other significant employment practices, and monitors and proposes legislation concerning labor and employment issues. Over the last year, the Attorney General's office has recovered more than $15 million for Illinois workers.

Attorney General Raoul encourages workers who have concerns about wage and hour violations to call his Workplace Rights Hotline at 1-844-740-5076 or visit the office's website to file a complaint online.