Tennessee Restaurant Ordered to Pay $751,682 in Back Wages And Liquidated Damages to 45 Employees

NASHVILLE, TN – The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Nashville Division, issued a consent order and permanent injunction against Casa Vieja Mexican Grille, Inc., and its owners, after a U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division investigation determined that Casa Vieja violated the minimum wage, overtime wage, and recordkeeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The Hendersonville-based restaurant and its owners – Martin Salazar, Jaime Salazar, and Alejandro Mendez – failed to accurately record the hours that employees worked and they failed to pay employees in compliance with the minimum wage and overtime wage provisions of the FLSA. In total, the Department determined that Casa Vieja owed $751,682 in back wages and liquidated damages to 45 employees. Casa Vieja agreed to pay this amount in full, after a legal action was filed in the District Court.

“Employees should receive the wages they earn for the hours they work,” said Wage and Hour Division District Director Nettie Lewis. “The outcome of this case serves as a reminder to all employers to review their pay practices to confirm that workers are being paid as the law prescribes. We will continue to work to level the playing field for employers who play by the rules.”

In addition to paying the back wages and liquidated damages, the restaurant and its owners are permanently enjoined from violating the FLSA in the future. The Department’s Office of the Solicitor in Nashville litigated the case.

For more information about the FLSA and other laws enforced by the Wage and Hour Division, contact the Division’s toll-free helpline at 866-4US-WAGE (487-9243). Information is also available at http://www.dol.gov/whd.