Judge Rules South Carolina Restaurant Manager Enslaved Worker, Owes $500k

Labor News

Reprinted from The Hill by Mychal Schnell on May 2, 2021.

A judge ruled that a former South Carolina restaurant manager who forced a Black man with intellectual disabilities to work more than 100 hours a week without pay, owes the former employee more than $500,000.

According to The Post and Courier, Bobby Paul Edwards, 56, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for forcing John Christopher Smith, 43, to work at J&J Cafeteria without pay.

Edwards was originally ordered to pay Smith $273,000, which covered minimum wages and overtime compensation he was previously denied, according to court documents.

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The Hill 5/2

About Jeffrey Burman 861 Articles
Jeff Burman served on the Guild’s Board of Directors from 1992 to 2019. He is now retired. He can be reached at jeffrey.s.burman.57@gmail.com.