A new FLSA lawsuit accuses Great Day Improvements — the home-remodeling company behind Champion Windows, Leafguard, and Patio Enclosures — of labeling its installers independent contractors to avoid paying overtime. If you built patios, sunrooms, windows, or bath products for Great Day, this case is about pay you may have earned — but it is at the complaint stage, so there is no settlement and nothing to file yet.
Allegations Only · Complaint Stage
This page describes a class/collective action complaint. The statements below are unproven allegations. The defendant, Great Day Improvements, LLC, has not answered the complaint, has not been found liable, no collective has been certified, and there is nothing to claim at this time. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
What Is This About?
A home-improvement carpenter has sued Great Day Improvements, LLC in a proposed Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action, alleging the company classified its installation and repair workers as independent contractors so it would not have to pay them overtime. The case, captioned Cadorette v. Great Day Improvements, LLC, No. 5:26-cv-01654, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on July 17, 2026. Great Day is a large direct-to-consumer remodeler headquartered in Twinsburg, Ohio, that the complaint says operates under trade names including Champion Windows, Leafguard, Universal Windows Direct, Patio Enclosures, The Bath Authority, and Apex Energy Solutions.According to the complaint, Great Day relies on workers like the named plaintiff to perform the very services it sells — installing patios, sunrooms, windows, doors, roofs, gutters, and bathtubs for its customers — yet treats them as independent contractors rather than employees. The complaint alleges these workers are employees under the FLSA, regularly work more than 40 hours a week, and are paid a flat, company-set rate per project with no time-and-a-half for their overtime hours. The allegations have not been proven, and Great Day has not yet responded.
What the Lawsuit Claims
The core of the case is a labeling dispute with real pay consequences. Great Day sells and installs home improvements across the country, and to do that work it engages individuals it classifies as independent contractors. The complaint alleges that classification is wrong as a matter of law — that these installers are really employees — and that by calling them contractors, Great Day sidestepped the FLSA's requirement to pay non-exempt employees one-and-a-half times their regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek.Instead of an hourly wage, the complaint says, installers are paid a flat rate that Great Day sets for each assigned project and that the worker cannot negotiate. Because the pay is tied to the project rather than the hours, an installer who spends 50 hours finishing a build allegedly earns the same flat amount as one who spends 40 — with no separate overtime premium for the extra time. The named plaintiff, a carpenter who performed patio and sunroom installations between roughly February and November 2025, says he was paid this way and received no overtime despite routinely working about 50 hours a week.
Why the Workers Say They're Employees, Not Contractors
Whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor under the FLSA turns on the "economic realities" of the relationship, not the label on a contract. The complaint walks through those factors and argues each one points to employee status:- The work is integral to the business. Great Day is in the business of installing home improvements, and the installers do exactly that — build the patios, sunrooms, windows, and baths the company sells.
- Little investment or profit-and-loss opportunity. The complaint says Great Day provides the training and equipment and sets a flat rate the worker can't negotiate, so installers have no real chance to increase profit or risk a loss the way an independent business would.
- Control rests with the company. Great Day allegedly does the billing and invoicing, sets prices and schedules, requires the worker to complete each project start to finish, and directs the work through its policies, manuals, and training.
- Economic dependence and no independent trade. The complaint says installers work for Great Day full-time for stretches of months, have limited ability to work for anyone else during that time, and must request approval for time off — hallmarks of employment, not an independent business.
The complaint also alleges Great Day uses W-2 employees who perform substantially the same work as the contractor-classified installers. Each of these points is an allegation; no court has ruled that Great Day misclassified anyone, and the company has not yet answered the complaint.
Why the Plaintiff Says It's "Willful"
The complaint alleges Great Day's conduct was willful — a finding that, under the FLSA, can extend the damages window from two years to three. It contends Great Day knew the nature and duration of the installers' assignments, knew it was not paying time-and-a-half for hours over 40, and had a financial motive to misclassify the workers because doing so let it avoid overtime costs. On that basis the plaintiff alleges the company either knew its classification violated the FLSA or acted with reckless disregard for whether it did. Willfulness is a contested legal question the court has not decided.Who Could Be Affected?
The complaint seeks to represent a nationwide FLSA collective defined as "all individuals who worked for Great Day performing home installation and improvement services in the United States from July 16, 2023 to the present and were classified as independent contractors." Unlike a Rule 23 class action, an FLSA collective action is opt-in: workers who want to participate generally must file a written consent-to-join form, and the court decides whether the case can proceed on a collective basis. No collective has been certified, so the proposed definition and time period could be narrowed, expanded, or rejected. Until that happens, there is no group to "join" through this page and nothing for installers to file here.The complaint also brings two individual claims under Virginia law — one under the state's worker misclassification statute and one under the Virginia overtime provisions — on behalf of the named plaintiff only, based on work he says he performed in Virginia. Those counts are individual to him and are not part of the nationwide FLSA collective.
What's Being Sought
The plaintiff asks the court to let the case proceed as an FLSA collective action, to authorize notice to other installers so they can opt in, and to award back pay for the unpaid overtime, an equal amount in liquidated damages, prejudgment interest, and attorneys' fees and costs. The complaint does not put a total dollar figure on the case, noting that the hours and payroll data needed to calculate the amounts are largely in Great Day's records. The plaintiff is represented by Barkan Meizlish DeRose Cox, LLP and Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C.What Happens Next?
The case is at an early stage. Great Day will have an opportunity to respond to the complaint, and the court would decide whether to authorize notice to other installation and repair workers so they can opt in. FLSA misclassification cases like this are often resolved through motion practice or settlement, but there is no settlement and no claim form now, and none is guaranteed. If you believe you are affected, keep any personal records of your hours and pay; we will update this page as the public docket develops.Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a lawsuit over Great Day Improvements overtime pay?
Yes. Cadorette v. Great Day Improvements, LLC, No. 5:26-cv-01654, is a Fair Labor Standards Act collective action filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio on July 17, 2026. The complaint alleges Great Day classified its home installation and improvement workers as independent contractors and did not pay them overtime for hours worked over 40 in a week. The allegations are unproven, no collective has been certified, and there is nothing to claim at this time.
What does the complaint allege?
That Great Day misclassified installation and repair workers as independent contractors and paid them a flat, company-set rate per project instead of an hourly wage. The named plaintiff says he routinely worked about 50 hours a week installing patios and sunrooms but received no time-and-a-half for hours over 40. The complaint contends these workers are employees under the FLSA's economic-realities test and that the misclassification was willful. These are allegations; Great Day has not been found liable and has not yet answered.
Who could the collective cover?
The complaint seeks to represent all individuals who worked for Great Day performing home installation and improvement services in the United States from July 16, 2023 to the present and who were classified as independent contractors. In an FLSA collective, workers must affirmatively opt in by filing a written consent to join, and no collective has been certified yet, so the definition could change.
What brands does Great Day Improvements operate?
According to the complaint, Great Day Improvements, LLC operates under several trade names, including Champion Windows, Leafguard, Universal Windows Direct, Patio Enclosures, The Bath Authority, and Apex Energy Solutions. The company, headquartered in Twinsburg, Ohio, sells and installs windows, doors, patios, sunrooms, roofing, gutters, and bath products nationwide.
Can I file a claim or join the case?
There is no settlement and no claim form. The case is at the complaint stage. In an FLSA collective action, eligible workers who want to participate generally must file a written consent-to-join form, but any process and eligibility would be governed by the court. This page is informational and is not legal advice.
Sources
- Complaint — Cadorette v. Great Day Improvements, LLC, No. 5:26-cv-01654 (N.D. Ohio filed July 17, 2026), available through the federal court docket (PACER / CourtListener).
- Great Day Improvements — company website (corporate background and brand list).
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