For Immediate Release
February 2, 2026
CONTACT:
Erin Brock, Public Justice Center, news@publicjustice.org
Sally Abrahamson, Werman Salas, sabrahamson@flsalaw.com
BALTIMORE – Seven deconstruction workers have reached a settlement with Second Chance, Inc., its CEO, a subcontractor called 300 Painting and Remodeling LLC (300 LLC), and the subcontractor’s owner for the workers’ claims of unpaid wages. The lawsuit, filed in September 2024, alleged that the defendants misclassified the workers as independent contractors and denied them their earned overtime and other wages. The plaintiffs will receive $173,000 in unpaid wages and damages.
Lead plaintiff Francis Betancourth said, “We, the plaintiffs, are grateful to the legal teams at the Public Justice Center and Werman Salas for listening to us and not hesitating to help us fight for our labor rights. We are truly happy with the results obtained after so many months in this process.”
The plaintiffs’ work was central to Second Chance’s operation: “deconstructing” homes across the East Coast by removing furniture, flooring, cabinets, windows, fixtures, and other materials from residential properties for resale at Second Chance’s Baltimore warehouse. Second Chance’s goal, according to its website, is “to create living-wage, green-collar jobs and to train people to succeed in them for the long term.” However, plaintiffs alleged that they and others worked up to 70 hours per week without receiving the overtime pay required by state and federal law. What’s more, the complaint alleged that even though Second Chance controlled most aspects of the plaintiffs’ work, including work sites and schedules, they funneled the plaintiffs’ work and pay through the subcontractor 300 LLC to avoid their responsibilities under the law.
Francis Betancourth added, “We know that there are many people whose labor rights are not respected, such as receiving fair pay for overtime work among other rights. If anyone feels that their situation is similar to ours, we encourage them to fight for their rights and seek legal assistance, just as our legal team provided for us, so that companies are held accountable for complying with the law and protecting the rights of their workers.”
The settlement calls attention to the need to address the widespread use of misclassification among employers to avoid providing important workplace protections. Common in industries like construction and home health care, misclassifying workers as independent contractors cheats workers out of protections like minimum wage, guaranteed sick and safe leave, and unemployment and workers’ compensation benefits.
According to Amy Gellatly, attorney for plaintiffs, “Despite being illegal, wage theft is pervasive, with employers seeming to believe they can operate with impunity in certain industries. These workers stood up not just for their own wages, but to make a point that ‘business as usual’ will not be tolerated.”
The case is Manuel Portillo et al., v. Second Chance, Inc., et al., U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland Case No. 1:24-CV-02660-EA. The court signed an order approving the settlement on January 12, 2026. The workers are represented by Amy Gellatly and Sam Williamson of the Public Justice Center and Anne Kramer and Sally Abrahamson of Werman Salas P.C.
ABOUT THE PUBLIC JUSTICE CENTER
The Public Justice Center pursues systemic change to build a just society. We use legal advocacy tools to pursue social justice, economic and race equity, and fundamental human rights for people who are struggling to provide for their basic needs. Our Workplace Justice Project advances justice and equity for Maryland workers by representing workers in wage theft and other litigation, providing know-your-rights education, advocating for policies to expand workers’ rights, and collaborating with community partners. To learn more, visit www.publicjustice.org.
ABOUT WERMAN SALAS P.C.
Werman Salas P.C. is a national law firm with attorneys in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston. The firm concentrates its practice on: (1) wage-and-hour class and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state wage laws; (2) privacy litigation under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) and other privacy statutes; and (3) consumer protection matters including the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
Federal courts have repeatedly recognized the firm’s leadership in employee-rights litigation—describing Werman Salas P.C. as “national leaders in advocating the rights of working people” in Sanchez v. Roka Akor Chicago LLC, and as “known and recognized lawyers in wage and hour litigation” with “an excellent national reputation” in Osman v. Grube, Inc. To learn more, visit www.flsalaw.com.
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