Wilson v. On the Rise Enters., LLC

305 F. Supp. 3d 5
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit·Decided March 31, 2018·No. Civil Action No. 16–2241 (BAH)·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinion

BERYL A. HOWELL, Chief Judge

Plaintiff Indah Wilson alleges that she has worked for over ten years at the restaurant Oohhs & Aahhs ("Restaurant") in Washington, D.C., without ever being paid a wage. Compl. ¶¶ 1, 7, 15, ECF No. 1. The plaintiff brings claims for minimum and overtime wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA"), 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq. and the D.C. Wage Payment Act ("WPA"), D.C. Code § 32-1301 et seq. , and common law fraud against her alleged employers, defendants On the Rise Enterprises, LLC ("OTR"), Oji. A. Abbott, and Dominique R. Brooks. Id. ¶¶ 25-44, 66-74. Alternatively, the plaintiff seeks a declaration that she is entitled to a fifty percent stake in the Restaurant, an injunction requiring the defendants to convey her such stake, and an accounting of all of the Restaurant's revenues and expenses since its opening. Id. ¶¶ 45-65. Pending before the Court are the defendants' motions to dismiss on grounds that the plaintiff's claims are time-barred or otherwise not cognizable. See Abbott & OTR's Mot. Dismiss, ECF No. 8. Defendant Brooks also asserts that he is not properly a defendant to this action. Brooks's Mot. Dismiss ("Brooks's Mot."), ECF No. 16; Brooks' Mem. Supp. Mot. ("Brooks' Mem.") at 2-3, ECF No. 16-1. For the reasons set out below, the defendants' motions to dismiss are denied in part and granted in part, without prejudice.

I. BACKGROUND

The plaintiff, a Maryland resident, alleges that she "founded the Restaurant along with her boyfriend, Defendant Oji Abbott," Compl. ¶¶ 1, 2, and then worked at the Restaurant for over ten years without receiving a paycheck, in the belief that she "was an owner of a fifty percent (50%) interest in the Restaurant," id. ¶¶ 2, 7, 46. The complaint provides few details about the plaintiff's background, such as her level of education or restaurant-related skills, but she alleges that she "frequently and usually" worked in excess of fifty hours per week while "manag[ing] the day-to-day operations" and "marketing" at the Restaurant. Id. ¶¶ 8, 50, 68. The plaintiff further alleges that "[d]ue in significant part to [plaintiff's] efforts to promote the Restaurant," id. ¶ 1, she helped the Restaurant to grow in "popularity and success," id. ¶ 10, and earn media exposure in the Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine , and Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," id. ¶ 1. By contrast to the *10plaintiff's role, "Abbott's role in the Restaurant allowed him to exercise dominion and control over the business records and organization and structure of the Restaurant." Id. ¶ 68.

Abbott allegedly incorporated Oohhs & Aahhs, Inc. in 2003 "to obtain permits and licenses for the Restaurant." Id. ¶ 5. "Abbott did not inform [the plaintiff] of his use of this entity and did not disclose [to her] the details of the entity ...." Id. The plaintiff "did not ask to inspect the initial paperwork establishing the Restaurant or its ownership" due to "her trust in [Abbott] and her unfamiliarity with the business and legal aspects of establishing a restaurant." Id. ¶ 4.

On or about May 3, 2012, "after the Restaurant had been operating for nearly a decade," Abbott and his "family member," defendant Brooks, established OTR, without the plaintiff's knowledge, to "own and operate the Restaurant." Id. ¶¶ 3, 6. Although Brooks allegedly provided "start-up money" for the Restaurant, he has played no "active role" in the Restaurant's operation, as he was imprisoned shortly after the Restaurant opened. Id. ¶¶ 3, 11. The defendants "did not include [the plaintiff] in the [LLC's] organizational documentation."Id. ¶ 6. At all relevant times, the defendants "maintained exclusive control over the financial and business records of the Restaurant." Id. ¶ 54.

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Wilson v. On the Rise Enters., LLC, 305 F. Supp. 3d 5 (D.C. Cir. 2018).

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