R. DANE SHARP, individually and on behalf of all similarly situated employees; ALEJANDRO ESPINOZA; MARIANO ESPINOZA, JR.; CORDIUS HICKMON; GABRIEL J. GALVAN; SEYDINA SYLLA; JORDAN PHOTBAUPHA; JUAN R. ROMERO; TODD M. DELANCEY; WILLIAM SIMON SEWANDO; DIANE K. STERK; COREY D. SANDERS; EULOGIO SOLANO MARTINEZ; BARRY COLLINS, JR.; ELIAS DAVILA; EDGAR TREBOTICH; JOHN WASHAM; ALEJANDRO MONCADA; RODOLFO RAMIREZ; GARY WYATT; DERON SCOTT; EMILIO RUBIO; RALPH WILSON; JOHNATHON NUNNERY; DEXTER THOMPSON; WILLIAM WILSON; JERRY ANDERSON; DIETRICH JACKSON; GERMAINE WILSON; LANDRIX JACKSON; GILBERTO BONILLA; SANTIAGO BONILLA; RICHARD FARR; TIMOTHY GARCIA; JESUS RODRIQUEZ; JUAN ESTRADA; AMBROCIO ROSALES; SEFERINO SALDANA; RAMON MORENO; ANTONIO MORA-ARMAGA; JEREMIAH HART; DONNELL HARRIS; JORGE CAMPOS; TAYLOR ELLIS; ALFONSO CARDOZA, JR.; JOE L. RUFFIN; RATHEAL BATEASTE; JOSE A. MARTINEZ; DONALD GUIDRY; OLJUWAN TOBIAS; KOUA XIONG; HELIO S. RODRIQUEZ; CARLOS TORRES; JOSEPH TILDEN; JUAN M. URBINAF; ISMAEL MENDOZA, JR.; OCTAVIO MENDOZA; JEFFREY DOUGLAS; LEONARD JOHNSON; ALEJANDRO MONCADA; TODD TOUCHET; DANIEL WETHERBY; SANTIAGO CANALES; LARRY WILSON; ROBERT L. JEFFERSON, JR.; OSCAR WILLIAMS; TERRY WHITE; JIREH L. MONROE, SR.; JUAN CARRILLO; DONNTEL DION BAILEY; JUAN HERNANDEZ; WAYNE BURNS; JEREMY FRAZIER; KEVIN RESENDEZ; GREGORY PENATZER; NORBERTO HERNANDEZ; DARYL SMITH; JAMES WALKER; MATEOS GARCIA; DARRICK WEATHERSBY; JARED LEGGETT; CALEB WEATHERSPOON; CHARLIE LEE, JR.; MARCUS PRICE; DAMION WALKER; LEBRODERICK JONES, SR.; ROLANDO BATES; SHON M. PHILLIPS; SHAWN BROWN; ERIC L. BURROUGHS; JOSE CARDENAS; PABLO CAVALLERO; TRAMAINE CHAPMAN; FRANCISCO DIAZ; PAUL DUTCHOVER; MARTIN GARZA; JOSE G. GOMEZ; JOHN L. GRANGER; LEKEITH HANDY, SR.; ROBERT HOAGLIN; MICHAEL HOLMES; KALUNA KOVIN; DARIUS LEBLANC; DARYL MCCRAY; DENNIS R. MILLS; J. MARK MORGAN; JOSE ALBERTO NAVAEZ; DAVID PEREZ; ARTURO RAMIREZ; ARDELL ROBINSON, JR.; ARTURO SAENZ, JR.; KHAMMALA SY; RAYMOND A. THIELE; ROBERT VAN DEN BRINK; SOUTHEP VONGKHAMCHAN; DAOKHAM XAYSY; BASSIROU M. BAYE; JALANTE M. BROWN; NOBLE CAMPBELL; PAO X CHANG; ANDRES B. CORTEZ; CHRISTOPHER DEMARTIN; SHAWN DICKERSON; EDDIE GONZALEZ; LUIS R. GARCIA; ERIC HAND; KUNTA HICKMON; GEORGE HUNT; RODERICK JEFFERSON; TONY JENKINS; CHARLES JOHNSON; SOUKHY KEOMANIVONG; PHRA MANIDONE; NIKITA MINOR; JORGE L. NARVAEZ; PHETSOMONE NAVONGSA; PHO NGEUNE; RICKY V. NORRIS, JR.; ARTHUR L. NUNNERY; DERRICK POPE; JESUS S. RODRIGUEZ; JOHN RODRIGUEZ; ROBERT A. SMITH; GEORGE STINSON; NICK STINSON; SOULIVANH SYLAPHET; MARQUS TURNER; BRUCE WILLIAMS; EDWARD D. BAITY; EDGAR CERDA; MONTREAL CHAPMAN; RUSSELL CHAPMAN; JOSEF DEBLANC; DESMOND DENNIS; JORGE FRANCO; BRYAN GODINEZ; EDSON GONZALEZ; VICTOR GUTIERREZ; TRAVIS GREGORY HAMMONDS; ROGELIO HERNANDEZ; SHAWN L. JACKSON; TYRONE D. JACKSON; ALAN ROY JOHNSON, SR.; SERGIO JUAREZ; KONGVIENG KHAMMALA; LESLIE R. LIPPERT; CHRISTOPHER A MARTIN; CERGIO MARTINEZ; JAIME MARTINEZ; ARTHUR MENDOZA; JUSTIN MERILLAT; JOHN NICKERSON, JR.; MANUEL ORTIZ; BRANDON S. PARRISH; DAMIAN SMITH; BOUBACAR MBERRY SYLLA; CARL TOTI; JULIO VELASQUEZ; EDDIE LEE WHITE, JR.; JOSEH DEBLANC; BRYAN GODINEZ; CESAR O. CANIZALES; EMILIO DELACRUZ; DAVID DELLAR; ELEAZOR GUTIERREZ; DIONDRICK HURST; BARTHELEMY KASSI; JIM KEOMORAKOTH; ARMANDO LOYA; MARY OLZWESKI; TEVIN L. PITTINGER; MARA PRIESTELY; BOUNLEUTH RASAVONGSY; FRANCISCO JAVIER RIOS-FAVELA; PAPA ROBINSON; JOSEPH RYALS; CHRISTOPHER SMITH; ANTHONY WEEKS; ROBERT BYERS; SEAN ALLISON; JOSE LAZARO YANES; ALAN ROY JOHNSON, SR.; OCTAVIO ESPARZA ALVAREZ; RODERRICK BROWN; RONALD O. BATES; JASON T. ENGLE; HARRY L. MCGHEE, JR.; FREDDIE L. RUFFIN; JESUS E. OJEDA, JR.; FRED E. TRUEBLOOD; JOSE F. SCOTT; URSULA SPRING WEEKLY, as executor for son Jordan Kyle Gatte; FRANCISCO CONTRERAS HERNANDEZ; BERMARDO ZACARIAS; JUAN M. ESPARAZA; JULIO C. FERRUFINO; FREDERICK M. FELTON; EDUARDO A. PEREZ, JR.; JAMES LORELL DOWNS; JOE LEWIS MARS; LUIS BENETIZ, SR.; CHAD A. KNIEPER; DERECK J. SMITH; JOSE ANGEL GUEVERA-GOMEZ; SENGKHAM MANIVONG; JAIME MEDINA; OMERO GARCIA, JR.; OMAR AGUIRRE; SITTHISAK MEUANGKHOT, Plaintiffs - Appellants, v. CGG LAND (U.S.) INC., Defendant - Appellee., 840 F.3d 1211
Summary
HOLDINGS: [1]-The cost of food away from home was an additional expense that the employee incurred while traveling for the employer's benefit and was thus exempt as a living expense; [2]-The proper focus was whether the $35 payments were for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred in furtherance of the employer's interests, not whether the employee was in transit at any given moment when the employee had traveled to a remote job site requiring that the employee be away from home during mealtimes; [3]-The employees did not receive higher per diem payments after working longer hourse, and the parties stipulated that the payments were reasonable payments for meals.