A recent lawsuit claims that a limousine and bus rental company failed to pay a former employee proper overtime wages and withheld earned commissions, raising questions about compliance with federal and state labor laws. The complaint was filed by Margaret Brown in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on March 27, 2026, naming M & M Limousine Service, Inc. and M & M Transportation Services LLC as defendants.
According to the court filing, Brown worked as a booking agent for the defendants in Des Plaines, Illinois from approximately 2021 until the fall of 2025. She alleges that during her employment she was paid $20 per hour plus commissions for arranging limousine and bus rentals but was not compensated at the correct overtime rate when working more than 40 hours per week. The lawsuit states that both companies acted as joint employers or alter egos of each other, sharing offices, officers, and business operations.
The complaint outlines several key allegations. Brown asserts that although she regularly worked more than 40 hours per week, the companies did not include her commission earnings when calculating her overtime pay rate. Instead, she was paid one-and-one-half times her hourly wage only—without factoring in commissions—as required by law. “Defendants failed to pay Plaintiff overtime at one and one-half times her regular rate of pay,” the filing reports. The suit references specific provisions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Illinois Minimum Wage Law (IMWL), which require employers to include all forms of remuneration—including commissions—when determining an employee’s regular rate for overtime purposes.
Brown also claims that she is owed approximately $7,558.67 in unpaid earned commissions under a Commission Agreement with the defendants. According to this agreement detailed in the filing, Brown was entitled to a commission equal to two percent of vehicle rental rates for new customers during their first year with the company and one percent thereafter. The complaint alleges that these commissions were not paid upon termination of her employment as required by the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (IWPCA).
The legal arguments presented in the document emphasize that no exemption or regulation permitted the defendants to exclude commission payments from overtime calculations or delay payment of final compensation after separation from employment. “Defendants’ above-described decisions, practices and policies prevented Plaintiff from receiving the appropriate overtime compensation for all hours worked in excess of 40 per workweek,” Brown’s attorneys wrote.
In addition to outlining alleged violations under federal law (FLSA), Brown’s complaint brings parallel claims under state statutes including IMWL and IWPCA. For each count, she requests relief such as back payment of wages owed—including proper calculation of overtime adjustments—statutory damages, punitive damages where applicable, penalties, interest on unpaid amounts, attorneys’ fees, costs associated with litigation, and any further relief deemed appropriate by the court.
The document specifies that venue is proper because both defendant companies do business within this judicial district and most events related to Brown’s claims occurred there. It also details how both entities are intertwined operationally: “M & M Limo is a limousine and bus rental company” while “the limousines and buses that M & M Limo rents…are owned by M & M Transportation.” Both allegedly share resources such as office space and management staff.
Margaret Brown is represented by attorneys Mark Bulgarelli (markb@progressivelaw.com) and Ilan Chorowsky (ilan@progressivelaw.com) from Progressive Law Group LLC based in Evanston, Illinois. The case is identified as Case No. 1:26-cv-3435.
Source: 126cv03435_Margaret_Brown_v_M_&_MComplaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf
