An ex-Nobu employee has reached a settlement of his lawsuit alleging that he and other current and former workers had to work off-the-clock without pay as well as through meal and rest breaks at the La Cienega Boulevard location.
Angel Briones’ Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was brought against the restaurant and hotel chain under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act, which authorizes allegedly aggrieved employees to file lawsuits to recover civil penalties on behalf of themselves, other employees and the state for purported Labor Code violations.
The parties’ attorneys filed joint court papers on Monday with Judge Yvette M. Palazuelos stating that the Private Attorney Generals Act and class-action claims have been resolved. They are asking her to give her preliminary approval during a scheduled Feb. 27 hearing. No terms were revealed.
Briones’ suit sought civil penalties and attorneys’ fees and while it did not indicate the job he held, it stated that he was hired at the Los Angeles Nobu restaurant in 2015 and worked there until July 2022. Nobu lawyers maintained in their court papers that the employment agreement between Briones and the restaurant called for disputes to be decided in arbitration.
According to the suit, Nobu failed to compensate its employees for all hours worked, including time spent getting tested for the coronavirus and time spent putting on and taking off their uniforms.
Briones and other employees regularly worked through meal breaks and were not paid for overtime, the suit filed July 7 alleged.
Nobu management also allegedly failed to keep and provide accurate wage statements in violation of the state Labor Code and did not reimburse employees for business expenses, including the use of their cellphones for work-related matters, and also did not promptly pay the staff money owed when they were fired or quit, the suit stated.
The Nobu restaurants were founded by chef Nobu Matsuhisa, actor Robert De Niro and producer Meir Teper, and are frequently patronized by celebrities.