Nursing home owner Makhlouf “Mark” Suissa is under fire again.

This time, the Service Employee International Union Healthcare of Missouri is calling for the state’s attorney general to follow in the footsteps of the Illinois attorney general, who filed a lawsuit against Suissa in August.

The Illinois lawsuit seeks to compel Suissa to pay former employees of Salem Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Joliet, IL, back wages and interest totaling more than $420,000.

SEIU officials are urging Missouri prosecutors to do the same for employees of the Suissa-owned Northview Village Nursing Home, which closed in December. 

“We demand Missouri prosecutors follow the Illinois attorney general’s lead and bring legal action against Suissa and his cohort of investors at the source of Northview’s sudden closure,” said Lenny Jones, state director for SEIU Healthcare Missouri.

It’s a new tactic, with employees often left to their own devices to seek overdue compensation. 

After Suissa’s Illinois facility abruptly closed in March, the lawsuit filed on behalf of employees stated that 117 workers were owed $350,839 in underpaid wages and $70,000 in wages that continue to accrue since the filing date.

According to the lawsuit, that number will increase by $17,496 each month “without limitation until judgment is entered.”

SEIU’s push comes as a reminder to state prosecutors that Northview’s displaced workers are still reeling from the unexpected event. 

“We are pleased to see some semblance of accountability for Mark Suissa as a result of his actions against his former employees. However, workers who were employed at Northview Village before its abrupt and negligent closure are still dealing with the repercussions of that life-altering event,” Jones said.

After Northview’s closing, some residents were transported to other nursing homes throughout the St. Louis area without their belongings or communication with their families. 

The lawsuit cites Suissa along with David Aryeh and Shoshana Aryeh as facility co-owners, and now defendants. A manager, Eric Rothner, also is listed as a defendant in the filing.