Jessica Biel’s Restaurant Closes After Stolen Tip Scandal
Jessica Biel had a rocky run as a restaurant owner. Au Fudge, her West Hollywood eatery, is officially closing after workers accused the actress and her co-owners of stealing tips.
By Admin on July 16, 2018
Jessica Biel had a rocky run as a restaurant owner. Au Fudge, her West Hollywood eatery, is officially closing after workers accused the actress and her co-owners of stealing tips.
Biel’s employees hit her with a lawsuit in 2017. However, the plaintiff requested the lawsuit be dismissed on behalf of all parties without prejudice. This means it can be refiled on June 6, 2018.
According to Radar Online, the Au Fudge workers accused the owners of stealing $430,100 in tips. In addition, they claimed they worked over eight hours a day without meal or rest breaks, and didn’t receive overtime pay.
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“In truth, [Biel and her co-owners] charged hundreds of thousands of dollars in gratuities to private-party customers and converted said gratuities to themselves in order to pad their own pockets and deprive [employees] their just compensation,” the court papers state.
The employees reportedly should have received $48,449.50 from vendor tips. The papers also reveal that the workers didn’t have access to “contracts that could be withholding at least $280,500 from them.”
Biel and her business partners denied all claims made against them. Their lawyers said that the lawsuit was “an effort to extort money from the Defendants.”
After all the bad press, Au Fudge has finally closed its doors. However, it’s still open for private events as of July 16.
