DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A business in DeKalb County will have to pay a worker $50,000 in back wages and liquidated damages.

The worker was fired after asking about pay, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

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The department says the employee worked for M. Davis Insurance Agency Inc., operating as Marc Davis State Farm, in Stone Mountain.

Marc Davis State Farm retaliated by firing the worker instead of answering the worker’s questions about their pay, according to a news release from the Department of Labor.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia ordered the owner to pay the back wages and liquidated damages.

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“Worker engagement with the U.S. Department of Labor is protected activity. They have the right to ask questions about an employer’s pay practices, and the law protects their right to do so,” said Atlanta District Director Steven Salazar. “Employees and workers alike can benefit from the tools Wage and Hour Division offers for the public to learn and understand their responsibilities and rights.”

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Channel 2 Action News called a number listed for the business. The person who answered had no comment or response to the ruling.

The Department says you can find information about the Fair Labor Standards Act and other laws enforced by the division by contacting the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243) or by visiting the agency’s website to learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division.

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