Gold Pawn City Sued Over Alleged Discrimination

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The operators of Florida’s Gold Pawn City are the defendants in a lawsuit filed by two plaintiffs who claim they were discriminated against because they are Russian.

Filed against Pawn Shop in Davie, Inc. and its two owners, the lawsuit states the Department of Labor (DOL) investigated the defendants in early 2018 and subsequently ordered the parties to pay a negotiated sum of unpaid minimum and overtime wages to the plaintiffs and similarly situated store clerks. Though the money was initially paid out, the defendants allegedly contacted the plaintiffs and other store clerks who are “members of the Russian race,” according to the suit, and ordered the individuals to return what was paid out as part of the DOL investigation. The plaintiffs claim they were told that if they didn’t return the money, their jobs would be terminated.

“[The defendants] only threatened termination to workers who are members of the Russian race,” the lawsuit alleges. “[The defendants] did not threaten Americans with termination if they failed to give back their moneys.”

The plaintiffs go on to claim they were terminated after they refused to pay back the money the defendants were ordered to pay by the DOL.