Los Angeles, CAThe owners of a posh Hollywood restaurant are being accused of violating California labor law in connection with eight carwashes they also own.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown filed the lawsuit against the Sikder family, claiming that they denied workers at the carwashes minimum wage and overtime pay, did not pay wages owed to those who quit or were fired, failed to provide rest and meal breaks, and falsified time sheets, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The lawsuit is seeking $6.6 million in lost wages and civil penalties from the defendants, who also run the popular Koi restaurant in Hollywood.
"While Koi served up yellowtail tartare and Kobe beef carpaccio to Hollywood celebrities, the restaurant's owners routinely denied wages, breaks and overtime pay to workers at their unlicensed carwashes," Brown said in a statement.
In one instance cited by prosecutors of the alleged misconduct, the owners of the carwashes failed to pay a nearly $15,000 court judgment to two of its employees that had been handed down more than three years ago.
Brown is the Democratic nominee in the California governor's race, which will be decided in November.