NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) - A group of New York City restaurants doing business under the common brand of Westville is being sued in the New York Supreme Court for allegedly reaching settlements with three employees without involving the lawyers who represented them.
Lee Litigation Group, PLLC has filed the suit March 18, alleging that three employees of the restaurant group owned by Jay Strauss and Yaniv Cohen all signed retainer agreements with the firm. Gerardo Aquilar, Salvador Herrera and Carlos Chen are named as the employees who allegedly sought representation in a wage and hour dispute with the defendant.
The firm and three clients then filed a class action lawsuit alleging claims based on wage and hour violations related to all seven of the Westville restaurants, according to the lawsuit. The suit also alleges that the original suit is still pending and in the discovery phase.
The current suit alleges that the defendants evaded or delayed discovery while at the same time “harassing and attempting under the table settlements with Plaintiff’s clients,” with text messages and phone calls that told the three litigants they would receive less money if they had to split it with their attorneys.
Lee Litigation group is seeking monetary and punitive damages against both the defendants and their lawyers who drafted the alleged settlements.