FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today, Malamut & Associates, LLC filed a collective and class action wage and hour lawsuit against Ratner Companies, the holding company for the popular Hair Cuttery salon chain.
Upon information and belief, Ratner Companies ceased operations in every state they operate in on or before March 21, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 crisis. While they ceased operations halfway through a pay period, employees across the country had worked during the first half of the pay period, and were expecting to receive the money they earned during this uncertain economic time.
On Friday April 3, 2020, Ratner Companies’ COO and CEO made the unprecedented announcement that the company would not be fulfilling payroll obligations for the upcoming April 7, 2020 pay date. Instead, the two executives hoped they could fulfill the payroll obligations if they receive federal funding and/or the business resumes operations.
The complaint filed by Malamut & Associates, LLC is on behalf of a South Jersey Hair Cuttery Stylist, representing a collective of Ratner Companies employees in every state they operate in a federal Fair Labor Standards Act claim, and a class of Ratner Companies employees in New Jerseys in a New Jersey Wage Payment Law claim. Each of these collective and class members are owed wages for hours they worked. The collective and class claims allege that Ratner Companies violated state and federal law by not paying their employees the wages they were due at the date they were due.
Adam Malamut, Managing Partner of Malamut & Associates, stated the following:
“We are in an unprecedented economic crisis caused by this public health emergency. Working men and women across the country are concerned about how they will make ends meet while we wait for the economy to return to business as usual. The idea we can climb out of this crisis on the back of working men and women is completely unfair, unjust, and as alleged by our client, illegal under Federal and State Law. We are proud to be fighting for working men and women during this national economic crisis.”
While the the suit was filed with a lone class representative in New Jersey, the firm has been retained by and is working for clients in various states, and plans on supplementing and amending the lawsuit in the coming days.
The complaint is filed as Olsen, et. al. v. Ratner Companies, et. al.
For press inquiries, please contact Mark Natale, Esq. at 856-424-1808
If you believe you belong in this collective or class action, please e-mail: mnatale@malamutlaw.com