Portland small claims court denies $160 wage claim over unrecorded market shift

A small claims court in Portland, Oregon, denied Nina Calder’s request for $160 in unpaid wages from Cedar Finch Market LLC, finding that she had not proved how many hours she worked or the amount owed.

The court found that Calder helped stock the market on the morning of May 10, 2025. But it said the evidence did not establish the eight-hour shift she claimed, or a definite shorter duration on which to base an award.

A dated coworker message thanking Calder for stocking help supported the finding that she worked that morning. It did not say when she arrived or left, or how long she worked. The court said repeated presentation of the same message did not add independent detail.

The time-clock report showed no entry for Calder that day, but the judge said that did not establish either her absence or her hours. Calder’s explanation that the clock was not working was a relayed account, not independent proof of a failure.

Calder’s account was not admitted witness testimony, and she acknowledged that she had not recorded her hours at the time and that her later recollection was uncertain. The court also could not inspect the pay statement said to show a $20 hourly rate and no May 10 hours.

Because Calder had to prove the relief she sought, the court said it could not calculate $160—or a smaller award—without assuming a duration or rate not established by the evidence.

Calder said she worked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., stocking shelves after a manager told her to start despite the clock problem. She maintained that her final pay omitted the shift and sought eight hours at $20 an hour.

Cedar Finch disputed the full eight hours, not necessarily Calder’s presence. It acknowledged that the missing clock entry did not prove she was absent, but argued that the coworker’s message did not establish when she left. The company asked the court to limit any award to supported hours and said it had no further records establishing them.

The dispute turned on a shift for which no hours were recorded contemporaneously. Calder said she discovered the clock was not working when she arrived; she did not know why.

The judgment entered for Cedar Finch orders no payment. It does not find that Calder was absent or that no wages were owed; it leaves the duration of her work and any unpaid amount unproved on the record before the court.