In a legal showdown that left over 400 restaurant servers on the edge of their seats, a Pennsylvania federal jury delivered a thrilling verdict, awarding $250,000 in back wages to workers from a local restaurant group. These resilient servers, who were tasked with performing nontipped side work while receiving subminimum wages, found themselves fighting for justice.
$250K Awards to Restaurant Servers : The Verdict Unveiled
Following an intense seven-day trial, the jury handed down a verdict on Tuesday that sent shockwaves through the culinary community. The culinary colossi, KRG Kings LLC and Kelly Operations Group, were deemed culpable for making their devoted employee, Darlene McDonnell, and a collective of workers toil away at nontipped side tasks during their shifts, all while being denied the minimum wage they deserved.
However, the plot thickened as the jury refused to accept the narrative that these diligent servers had spent more than 20% of their shifts catering to customer service-related side work. Nor did they find the restaurant guilty of intentionally violating the Fair Labor Standards Act through their compensation policies.
A Prologue of Legal Turmoil
This courtroom saga had been brewing for quite some time. In February, U.S. District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand rejected the restaurant group’s plea for summary judgment. She argued that there were too many enigmatic factual issues, demanding resolution through a trial rather than a summary judgment climax.
