Denson v. Dc Restaurant Holdings, Inc.
Case Details
- Judge(s)
- Judge Dabney L. Friedrich
- Nature of Suit — the legal category of the dispute
- Civil
- Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
- Published
- Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
- default judgment
- State
- District of Columbia
- Circuit
- D.C. Circuit
Related Laws
No specific laws identified for this ruling.
Claim Types
Outcome
Court granted plaintiff's motion for default judgment against defendants for wage and hour violations. Plaintiff awarded $45,637.82 in unpaid wages plus $136,913.46 in treble liquidated damages under DC law, totaling $182,551.28, plus $11,207.60 in attorney's fees and $210.00 in costs.
What This Ruling Means
Denson v. DC Restaurant Holdings, Inc.
What Happened
An employee named Denson sued DC Restaurant Holdings, Inc. for wage theft—meaning the employer failed to pay wages that were legally owed. The defendant did not respond to the lawsuit or contest the claims in court.
What the Court Decided
The court ruled in Denson's favor by default judgment, finding that wage violations had occurred. The company was ordered to pay $45,637.82 in unpaid wages owed to the employee. Additionally, under DC law, the court tripled this amount as a penalty, awarding $136,913.46 in extra damages to punish the violation. The company also had to cover Denson's attorney fees ($11,207.60) and court costs ($210.00), bringing the total to $182,551.28.
Why This Matters for Workers
This case demonstrates that workers have legal protections against wage theft. DC law not only requires employers to pay owed wages but also penalizes them with triple damages when violations occur. Workers who aren't paid can pursue court action, and the employer may have to cover their legal fees, making it financially feasible to fight back.
This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.
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This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
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