Ichiban Japanese Cuisine Staring Down Ex-Employee's Wage Lawsuit

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A former employee has filed a proposed class action against Ichiban at Mt. Lookout Inc. and Aqua Restaurant, LLC, which do business as Ichiban Japanese Cuisine, and seven individual defendants claiming the parties failed to pay proper wages.

Filed in Ohio court, the lawsuit alleges the defendants knowingly and willfully failed to pay the plaintiff and similarly situated workers proper minimum and time-and-a-half hourly overtime wages. The case claims the plaintiff, a former waitress, worked at least 55 hours per week without meal breaks or proper pay. The defendants, the lawsuit continues, allegedly took an unauthorized tip credit on workers’ wages without first providing mandatory notice or receiving employees’ consent. Further, the defendants also allegedly forced employees to participate in a tip pool from which 20 percent of their wages were unlawfully withheld each week.