In a dramatic twist to a long-running legal battle over unpaid wages, the co-founder of luxury furniture maker BDDW claims the company’s owners secretly moved millions in assets and real estate to dodge a $2.4 million judgment.
According to a lawsuit filed in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, co-founder Jonathan Thorson accused BDDW owner Ted Tyler Hays and his wife Jennifer Wink Hays of orchestrating a series of transfers meant to shield their wealth and frustrate court-ordered collections.
The suit paints a vivid picture of corporate shell games and property shuffling worthy of a Wall Street thriller—alleging that the couple shifted entire business operations, inventories, and even customer relationships into new companies registered under Wink’s name.
Unpaid Wages Turn Into a High-Stakes Legal Chase
Thorson and fellow co-founder Grace Song had previously prevailed in a nonjury trial against Hays and BDDW, securing a $2.2 million verdict in 2022 under Pennsylvania’s Wage Payment and Collection Law. With attorney fees and interest, the total ballooned to more than $2.4 million.
But when the time came to collect, Thorson alleges the defendants began playing a legal shell game—transferring ownership, dodging sheriff’s deputies, and ignoring discovery orders.
According to court filings, the judgment debtors refused entry to their Philadelphia warehouse, skipped depositions, and failed to respond to discovery, leading to multiple contempt findings.
