The US Department of Labor sued staffing executive Sue Bhatia claiming mistreatment of a live-in domestic worker and paying the worker below minimum wage. Allegations that the Bhatias say are false.

Bhatia is CEO of Rose International, the 26^th-largest IT staffing firm in the US, according to Staffing Industry Analysts Largest IT Staffing Firms list.

The Department of Labor filed the lawsuit on Aug. 22. It seeks unpaid wages and other damages, including punitive damages.

It says Sheela Ningwal worked for the Bhatias starting July 10, 2012, as a live-in domestic worker handling household chores. She worked at the Bhatias’ homes in San Juan Capistrano, Calif.; Las Vegas; Long Beach, Calif.; and Miami.

Ningwal was required to work an average of 15½ hours per day, seven days a week and received a fixed monthly salary of $400, according to the lawsuit. Claims that Ningwal was mistreated include being left to sleep in a garage with dogs when she was ill. It also says the Bhatias would be gone from the residence for days without leaving any food for her with the suit saying Ningwal was dependent on the Bhatias for food and transportation.

Staffing Industry Analysts reached out to the Bhatias, and here is a statement from Sue Bhatia’s daughter, Sabina Bhatia:

“It is unfortunate that successful business leaders can so easily become the target of such baseless and false allegations.”

Sabina Bhatia also said: “There is not a morsel or even a nugget of truth to Sheela's claims. Her story is complete fiction," Sabina Bhatia said. “I can’t tell you how shocked, saddened and betrayed my mom is that Sheela Ningwal would say these things that are completely false. My mom and dad — all of us in fact — treated Sheela like family. She ate with us and socialized with us. There are tons of photos and videos of these memories. My mom even cared and cooked for her when she was sick."