1st DIBS.COM LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer filed a collective action lawsuit today against 1stdibs.com, a well-known internet retailer, for allegedly failing to pay overtime to their image processors. Either though our clients were paid a weekly salary, we believe they were entitled to overtime pay. If employees are paid under $100,000 per year, they are likely entitled to overtime pay. Please visit our website at http://www.fslawfirm.com/unpaid-overtime.html for more information.

LEMONGRASS GRILL LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP filed a class action lawsuit today in the Eastern District of New York against Lemongrass Grill, which operated Thai restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan. We allege that Lemongrass failed to pay waiters any wages for a period of many years. This is a common violation in the restaurant industry- even if employees receive tips, they still must be paid proper minimum wage and overtime.

HIRO BALLROOM LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP filed a Class Action Lawsuit filed against Hiro Ballroom and Cabanas, two nightclubs located in the Maritime Hotel in the Meatpacking District for allegedly failing to pay service charges and gratuities to Waitresses and Bartenders.

FRIENDLY'S LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP filed a class action lawsuit against Friendly's in Staten Island, NY for failing to pay minimum wage and overtime. Our client worked between 60 and 80 hours per week, and was only paid for 20 to 40 hours. This is a common illegal practice in the restaurant industry.

HARRY WINSTON LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer filed a lawsuit today against Harry Winston, the world-famous "Jeweler to the Stars." The lawsuit was filed in Supreme Court, New York County. We allege our client was discriminated against based on his medical condition and fired after requesting reasonable accommodations.

EAST RESTAURANT LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer filed a class action today in Federal Court against East, a chain of Japanese restaurants with six locations in New York and New Jersey. We allege that our clients, who worked as waiters in the Palisades Mall location were denied all tips they earned, among other violations of law. Distributing tips to management and back of the house workers is a common illegal practice in the restaurant industry.

COVENANT AVIATION SECURITY LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer filed a lawsuit against Covenant Aviation Security in Supreme Court Kings County. The Plaintiff, Adolphe Ladouceur alleges he was terminated based on religious discrimination. An employer must provide reasonable accommodation for religious beliefs.

PHARMACEUTICAL SALES REPS

An Appeals Court in New York has just decided that sales representatives are entitled to overtime pay. If you are a sales representative working long hours, please call us for a free consultation.

Mandatory Service Charges/Gratuities

An Appeals Court in New York has decided that the law regarding service charges and gratuities will apply retroactively. Therefore, if an employee worked at a bar or restaurant in the last SIX YEARS, they can recover these wages.

1 OAK

Fitapelli & Schaffer filed a class action lawsuit against 1 Oak, alleging the club improperly paid doormen and hostesses tips, in violation of the law. We believe many nightclubs in New York City violate the law regarding tips, service charges and mandatory gratuities. If you work for one of these clubs, please call us for a free consultation.

PENTHOUSE CLUB, SCORES

Fitapelli & Schaffer filed a lawsuit against two famous strip clubs in New York City, Penthouse and Scores, alleging non-payment of wages. Employees who work at these clubs, such as exotic dancers and waitresses are frequently paid incorrectly. If you work at these clubs, please call our firm for a free consultation.

PIO PIO

Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP filed two lawsuits against Pio Pio, a Peruvian restaurant chain with locations in Manhattan, Queens and The Bronx on behalf of waiters and kitchen staff who were not paid minimum wage and overtime, even though they worked over 40 hours per week. If you work for a restaurant and do not receive minimum wage or overtime pay, please call our firm for a free consultation. This case was featured in the news: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAYe5DQd5lU.

FRANKLIN FIRST FINANCIAL

Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP filed a lawsuit against Franklin First Financial on behalf of loan officers who were not paid minimum wage and overtime, even though they worked over 40 hours per week. If you work for a financial institution and are paid commission only and do not receive overtime pay, please call our firm for a free consultation.

MERRILL LYNCH/BANK OF AMERICA LAWSUIT

Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP filed two collective action lawsuits against Merrill Lynch and Bank of America on behalf of senior specialists who were not paid overtime, even though they worked over 40 hours per week. If you work for a financial institution and do not receive overtime pay, please call our firm for a free consultation.

WALMART CLASS ACTION

Over six years before getting hit with the largest sex discrimination lawsuit in history, a prominent law firm warned Wal-Mart and Sam's Club that their organization was rife with widespread gender disparities in pay and promotion. The environment was so bad the lawyers urged the company to take such basic steps as posting all job openings and creating specific goals to promote women and minorities--or risk facing significant liabilities. These steps would be just the beginning, but without significant changes to the way it did business, Wal-Mart would find it difficult to "fashion a persuasive explanation for disproportionate employment patterns." Wal-Mart decided to ignore this advice.

If you believe you are being paid differently than your co-workers based on your gender, please call our firm for a free consultation.

HUGE DISCRIMINATION JURY VERDICT

A New York Court recently awarded over $250 million in damages against Novartis, a pharmaceutical company. The jury concluded that Novartis discriminated against female employees for many years. If you believe you have been discriminated against due to your gender, call our firm for a free consultation.

INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS

The United States Department of Labor recently announced the creation of a task force assigned with investigating companies that wrongly classify employees as independent contractors. Companies misclassify in order to avoid paying payroll taxes, benefits, overtime and other wages. If you are called an independent contractor, and you have a set schedule, are supervised by the company and use their supplies, such as computers, you may be misclassified. Please call our firm for a free consultation.

JP MORGAN LOAN UNDERWRITERS ENTITLED TO OVERTIME

A New York Court has recently decided that loan underwriters at JP Morgan are entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay. Many banks and mortgage companies pay their employees commission only, without any premium pay for overtime hours worked. If you work as an underwriter and are being paid improperly, please call Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP at (212) 300-0375 for a free consultation.