Michael Psilakis, Graham Elliot Hit With Labor Lawsuits

Spring is in the air, and across the land birds are chirping, flowers are budding, and big name chefs are getting slapped with labor lawsuits. Attorney Maimon Kirschenbaum, thorn in the New York restaurant industry's side, has filed a class-action suit against chef Michael Psilakis and his partner at New York's Kefi, claiming the restaurant failed to pay minimum wage and proper overtime compensation, and also allowed tip-sharing. Kirschenbaum is fresh off a huge victory over Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, who paid $5.25 million to settle a similar lawsuit out-of-court.

Meanwhile, over in Chicago, Graham Elliot has been hit with a lawsuit by a former server of his eponymous restaurant who says he was denied minimum wage, overtime, and forced to participate in tip-sharing. That suit is seeking back pay plus interest.

· Kefi is the Latest Restaurant Hit by Employee Lawsuit [Eater NY]
· Graham Elliot Gets Sued by Former Server [Eater Chicago]
· All Lawsuit Coverage on Eater [-E-]