Feds Order New Canaan Restaurant To Pay Workers Back Wages, Damages

NEW CANAAN, CT — A New Canaan restaurant is among six in Connecticut ordered by a federal court to pay back wages and liquidated damages to employees.

Siguenza LLC, operating as Cava Wine Bar and Restaurant in New Canaan, is one of the half-dozen businesses contributing to a total $858,191 pay out to workers, according to the ruling announced Tuesday. The order followed an investigation and litigation by the U.S. Department of Labor.

The other five restaurants named are:

• 1077 LLC, operating as Scena Wine Bar and Restaurant, Darien
• SL Restaurant Group LLC, operating as 55 Wine Bar, Fairfield
• Greenwich Avenue Restaurant LLC, operating as Sundown, Greenwich
• 1104 Chapel Street LLC, operating as Harvest Wine Bar and Restaurant, New Haven
• 36 Railroad Place LLC, operating as Harvest Wine Bar and Restaurant Westport, Westport

According to the DOL, in November 2022, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut determined the employers violated the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and record keeping provisions. The court awarded a total of $251,129 in back wages for overtime violations and held the employers liable for liquidated damages and forbid them from violating the Fair Labor Standards Act’s overtime and record keeping provisions.

After obtaining a favorable order on partial summary judgment, the DOL and the employers entered into a consent judgment. The judgment — entered by the court in February 2023 — requires the employers to pay additional back wages, withheld tips and liquidated damages owed for all remaining claims, including those for minimum wage, tip pool and other overtime violations, according to a statement released by the DOL's Wage and Hour Division on Tuesday.

The judgment also incorporates the court’s summary judgment decision and requires the restaurants and their owners to pay a total of $858,191 in back wages, withheld tips and liquidated damages.

"These employers’ pay practices deprived workers of the full, hard-earned wages and tips on which they depend to help them support themselves and their families," said Wage and Hour Division District Director Donald Epifano. "While these types of violations are common in the restaurant industry unfortunately, they can be prevented with knowledge and compliance with the law."