WEST PALM BEACH – A former cook has filed a class-action lawsuit a Palm Beach County restaurant and its owner over allegations of unpaid overtime.
Jakiel Crawford filed a complaint on behalf of all others similarly situated on March 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach Division against Bay Bays Chicken & Waffles LLC and Israel G. Johnson, alleging that they violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that, between Oct. 1, 2014, and Jan. 30 he did not receive time-and-a-half of his hourly rate for all hours he worked in excess of 40 in a week. The plaintiff holds Bay Bays Chicken & Waffles LLC and Johnson responsible because the defendants allegedly intentionally refused to pay to properly compensate him for all his extra hours and paid him straight time only.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensation for unpaid wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages, reasonable attorney fees, costs and interest and any other relief that the court may deem reasonable under the circumstances. He is represented by David Markel of the Markel Law Firm in Miami.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach Division Case number 9:16-cv-80478