Jessica Biel and her partners at Los Angeles' Au Fudge restaurant have been served with a lawsuit by the restaurant's staff, which accused the actor and other owners of stealing their tips.
In the suit filed on September 13 in LA's Superior Court of California, the nine plaintiffs, who served in positions including host, server, server assistant, runner, barista, au pair or bartender, say the restaurant owners wrongfully converted" the 22 per cent gratuity charged at private events and buyouts, where clients pay to rent the entire restaurant, reported The Wrap.
The owners include Biel, stylist Estee Stanley, Joey Gonzalez, Kimberly Muller and Jonathan Rollo.
"Plaintiffs were told they were entitled to receive compensatory gratuities directly from customers including those customers who booked large private parties or events, (such as Amazon, Netflix and Fox Studios)," the employees claim in their complaint.
The employees are seeking USD 430,100 in tips from various events in addition to USD 31,459 in "missed rest breaks," as well as USD 1 million in punitive damages.
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