Court orders Connecticut sports bar, owner to pay $359K for retaliating against employees

Summary:

A federal court has ordered a Milford, CT-based sports bar and its owner to pay $359,485 in damages to employees for violating the anti-retaliation provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). The employer, Champions Grill and Bar, and its owner, Loren Drotos, were accused of threatening an employee who requested back pay, terminating employees who cooperated with an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection, and sending a message to employees to not speak with federal investigators. The court granted back pay, withheld wages, emotional distress damages, and punitive damages to the affected employees, and prohibited the employers from future violations of the anti-retaliation provisions of the FLSA and OSH Act.