News Brief
US Department of Labor files lawsuit alleging two Ann Arbor restaurants failed to pay 20 workers $121K in overtime wages
Employers: Cascabel Ventures LLC
Owner Adam Baru
Actions: Fair Labor Standards Act complaint filing
Courts: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Investigation findings: On Sept. 18, 2023, the department filed suit seeking $242,534, representing $121,767 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages, for 20 employees of Cascabel Ventures LLC in Ann Arbor after investigators with the department’s Wage and Hour Division alleged FLSA violations by the two jointly operated restaurants and their owner Adam Baru. Cascabel Ventures LLC does business as Isalita and Mani Osteria & Bar, which are restaurants located in Ann Arbor.
Specifically, investigators found the employer failed to pay their employees time and one-half their hourly rate of pay for overtime hours July 6, 2020, through July 3, 2022. The suit seeks back wages, liquidated damages and an injunction against Baru and the restaurants from future FLSA violations.
Quote: “Complying with federal wage laws is not optional,” said Wage and Hour Midwest Deputy Regional Administrator Timolin Mitchell in Detroit. “Every worker has the right to be paid fully for the job they do. Employers must be responsible for knowing the law and abiding by it. Workers cannot agree to waive their rights – including the right to be paid the minimum wage – under federal law.”
Background: Learn more about the Wage and Hour Division, including a search tool to use if you think you may be owed back wages collected by the division and how to file an online complaint. For confidential compliance assistance, employees and employers can call the agency’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243), regardless of where they are from.
Download the agency’s new Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices – also available in Spanish –to ensure hours and pay are accurate.
United States Department of Labor v. Cascabel Ventures LLC, Adam Baru
