In the case of Mei Xing Yu v. Hasaki Restaurant, Inc., Mei Xing Yu filed a lawsuit against Hasaki Restaurant (Hasaki), alleging that the restaurant violated the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by not paying her overtime. Yu was a sushi chef at Hasaki for 2 years and often worked for more than 40 hours a week.
Hasaki filed for a summary judgment and it was granted by the district court, dismissing Yu’s claims. Yu decided to appeal the district court’s decisions to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The Second Circuit reversed the initial court’s ruling and decided that Hasaki was liable for Yu’s unpaid overtime wages.
It was found that Hasaki was considered an employer under the FLSA because it had over 20 employees. This meant that their employees were eligible for overtime pay if they worked over 40 hours a week.
The Second Circuit ordered Hasaki Restaurant to pay Yu overtime back wages, with interest and attorney’s fees. The final ruling and dismissal of the case were undetermined.
Key lessons from this case:
- Employers with more than 20 employees must comply with the FLSA, which includes providing overtime compensation.
- An employee has the option to appeal a court’s ruling if they believe that the outcome is unjust.
- An employee needs to know their overtime rights and eligibility to avoid years of unclaimed overtime back wages.
If you want to know more about overtime regulations, read our guide on New York Overtime Laws.
