(CBS/AP) NEW YORK – Celebrity chef and author Mario Batali and his New York business partner have agreed to pay $5.25 million to settle a lawsuit that alleged they confiscated a portion of their restaurant workers’ tips.
According to court papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the settlement, which still must be approved by a judge, may compensate as many as 1,100 waiters, captains and other staffers
The lawsuit against the 51-year-old Batali, who is frequently seen on TV, and Joseph Bastianich was filed in 2010. It claimed their restaurants had a policy of deducting 4 to 5 percent from the tip pool at the end of each night.
Full story: Mario Batali settles suit accusing him and partner of skimming staff’s tips