GOP Debate Clouded By Reports Moreno Destroyed Evidence: Here Are The Facts
January 24, 2024
Columbus, OH – While all three Republican Senate candidates repeatedly attacked each other during Monday’s debate, one candidate faced particular scrutiny for new reports detailing how he shredded evidence to avoid paying his employees the wages they earned.
Bernie Moreno tried and failed to dismiss legitimate questions about why he destroyed records he was instructed to keep and “specifically agreed” to hand over to the court during wage theft lawsuits against him.
“Bernie Moreno is taking on even more water after facing attacks about how he destroyed key evidence to get out of paying his employees the overtime pay they earned,” said ODP spokesperson Katie Smith. “Moreno doesn’t think he has to answer for his decision to shred evidence, just like he didn’t think he had to follow the rules and keep key records despite being legally required to do so.”
Timeline: Moreno Shredded Evidence Before Being Found Liable for Wage Theft
- 2017: Bernie Moreno was sued by a former employee who “alleg[ed] that Moreno had failed to pay him for overtime hours worked.” From the “the beginning” when the lawsuit against him was filed, “Moreno was required to preserve all documents relevant to the case.”
- January 2020: After he had already been required to preserve all key documents, Moreno again “specifically agreed to do so in January 2020.”
- October 2020 – December 2020: Moreno “destroyed” evidence containing information about his employees’ overtime hours. Evidence that he was legally required to retain and that he agreed to provide to the court.
- May 2021: During a deposition, Moreno was forced to admit to having “destroyed paper copies of monthly reports containing information about overtime hours worked” by his employees.
- August 5, 2022: Moreno was sanctioned by a judge for “destroy[ing] evidence,” who said: “…The Defendants lost or destroyed evidence that they were required to preserve and which they knew or should have known was relevant.”
- August 11, 2022: A jury found Moreno liable for wage theft, finding that his employees proved “they had worked overtime hours and that [Moreno] knew that.”
- November 2022: Moreno is ordered to pay more than $400,000 in damages to his employees.
- January 2023: Moreno settled 14 additional lawsuits out-of-court.
- April 2023: Moreno launches his campaign for Senate.
See more: MUST READ: Bernie Moreno Destroyed Key Evidence To Get Out Of Paying His Employees Wages They’d Earned, FACT CHECK: Moreno Destroyed Key Evidence To Get Out Of Paying His Employees Wages They’d Earned
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