Hello all, two of my former coworkers and I have been continuously unpaid for work we have done for our company, and after months of excuses and nonpayment we can no longer continue being patient with them. The company is located in Michigan, and while they claim to have sent checks and are always having “issues” with alternative forms of payment, only one of us has been able to claim payment so far, but me and my other coworker continue to be ghosted. The ex-coworker who did receive payment had to email our boss multiple times a day to receive it, and experienced both medical and financial hardships as a result of the nonpayment, including being unable to afford a time-sensitive medical procedure and losing access to household utilities due to lack of payment. While they were finally able to receive their remaining owed payment after implying a threat of lawsuit, we are wondering if there is any recourse they could seek for the hardships experienced as a result of the delayed payment, and if me and my other coworker who have yet to be paid also have a potential claim.
I am in the process of making a complaint to the Department of Labor as I have seen recommended elsewhere on the subreddit, but my other ex-coworker is employed internationally, and cannot complete the form due to the form not including options for an international address in their location. Because of this, I am unsure how to proceed, or if some form of civil lawsuit would be their only option for recourse. Additionally, I am uncertain if the Department of Labor is our best resource, or if our situation would be better suited for a civil suit considering absolutely no payment has been given to me or my other ex-coworker, as of now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!