News Brief

US Department of Labor recovers $45K in back wages, damages for 11 servers at southern Michigan restaurant, bar

Employers:                Old Woodward Ventures LLC, operating as Luxe Bar & Grill

                                         Kara Bongiovanni

                                        Grand Lux Café, Troy, Michigan                                

Court Action:            Consent judgment and order

Court:                         U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division

Investigation findings: An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered $45,428 ‒ representing $22,714 in back wages and an equal amount in liquidated damages ‒ for 11 servers employed by Kara Bongiovanni and Old Woodward Ventures LLC, operators of Luxe Bar & Grill in TroyLuxe Bar & Grill and Bongiovanni will also pay $4,570 in civil money penalties for violations of Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and recordkeeping provisions. 

Under terms of a consent order and judgment entered on August 8, 2024, by U.S. District Judge George Carem Steeh, the restaurant and owner Kara Bongiovanni must in the future provide relevant FLSA fact sheets to employees and not violate the FLSA. 

Investigators found Luxe Bar & Grill and Bongiovanni paid servers straight time for overtime “off the books” in cash and did not maintain accurate payroll records. 

In addition to paying the back wages, liquidated damages, and civil money penalties, Luxe Bar & Grill and Bongiovanni agreed to maintain an electronic time and recordkeeping system and maintain accurate payroll records.

Quotes: “When employers knowingly shortchange workers of their rightfully earned wages, such as overtime, they literally take money out of the pockets of their employees,” explained Wage and Hour District Director Timolin Mitchell in Detroit. “Luxe Bar & Grill’s practice of recording the hours and paying them off the books demonstrated they knew the law and chose to ignore it.”

“Employers should know that the department will use all available tools to ensure compliance with the FLSA,” added Regional Solicitor Christine Heri in Chicago. “When employers pay their workers less than the required wage, they will be held accountable—even if they try to hide it by making those payments off the record.” 

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.

Learn more about compliance assistance for restaurant workers.

Download the agency’s new Timesheet App for iOS and Android devices – also available in Spanish – to ensure hours and pay are accurate. 

Julie A. Su, Acting Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor v. Old Woodward Ventures LLC, d/b/a Luxe Bar & Grill and Kara Bongiovanni

Civil Action No. 2:23-cv-11484

Agency
Office of the Solicitor
Date
August 8, 2024
Release Number
24-711-CHI
Media Contact: Scott Allen
Phone Number
Media Contact: Rhonda Burke
Phone Number
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