Pizza Luce lawsuit claims delivery drivers are getting paid below minimum wage

(FOX 9) - A lawsuit filed by a Pizza Luce delivery driver is accusing the company of paying less than minimum wage due to the company not paying enough to reimburse drivers.

The lawsuit filed by Elizabeth Norton, who worked as a delivery driver for four years at the Hopkins Pizza Luce, accuses the company of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and Minnesota minimum wage laws. Norton hopes to represent other drivers in a class-action suit.

The lawsuit claims, by failing to properly reimburse drivers for maintenance costs, fuel, insurance, and other requirements of the job, drivers end up getting paid less than minimum wage.

The lawsuit says Pizza Luce doesn't collect receipts for or track driver expenses, but the chain does provide a "per delivery" reimbursement, which for Norton was $1.05 per delivery. The lawsuit claims that reimbursement is below the IRS standard for business mileage rate.

According to the lawsuit, on average, Norton estimated she drove 4.5 miles per delivery, which amounts to a reimbursement of $0.23 per mile. While the IRS standard was more than double that at $0.575.

The lawsuit is seeking restitution for drivers from Pizza Luce. FOX 9 has reached out to Pizza Luce for comment.

In a statement to FOX 9, Norton's lawyer Andrew Kimble said: "Pizza delivery drivers cover huge costs for their employers by using their own cars to make deliveries. Often the reimbursement payments they receive are not enough to cover those costs, resulting in a minimum wage violation. That's what the plaintiff claims happened here. If there is a takeaway for consumers, it's this: remember to tip your pizza driver."