A prospective collective and class action lawsuit has been filed against the country’s oldest nonmedical home care franchiser, alleging its Connecticut branch failed to pay overtime and unlawfully deducted wages from approximately 400 home health aides.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleges Griswold Home Care, which is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has franchises throughout the country, including Connecticut, violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Connecticut General Statutes. It names as defendants Cathy Howard and her daughter, Maria Malafronte, who own several Griswold franchises in Connecticut.