A federal court has ordered two Newport restaurant owners to pay more than 550-thousand dollars in back wages, withheld tips, and damages to employees.
Christopher Bender and David Cromwell are the owners of the Stoneacre Brasserie and Stoneacre Garden; the pair were accused of failing to pay federal minimum wage to their workers, held back tips, and misclassified employees as exempt from overtime pay between April 2019 and January 2021.
More than 100 current and former employees are involved in the case.
The defendants must also pay the US Department of Labor more than 11-thousand dollars in civil penalties.