Indian Hot Spot Babu Ji Settles Second Wage Lawsuit For $130K

Popular Australian-Indian restaurant Babu Ji has settled the second of its two wage lawsuits for $130,000 total.

Last fall, three employees of the restaurant’s now-shuttered East Village location accused Jessi and Jennifer Singh of withholding tips and failing to pay overtime. The same lawsuit claimed that Jessi Singh threatened servers and their families.

Settlement papers filed to public record earlier this week show that each of the three former employees will receive under $28,500 as part of the agreement, while attorney (and notorious restaurant thorn) Maimon Kirschenbaum’s firm will receive more than $44,000. The Singhs did not admit to wrongdoing as part of the deal.

In September 2016, the Singhs agreed to pay out $95,000 for another wage lawsuit, split evenly between two employees and Kirschenbaum. In light of the two lawsuits, the restaurant closed its original East Village location at 175 Avenue B in March after two years in the space. In a short time, Babu Ji became a favorite of critics for its eclectic Indian cuisine and approachable tasting menus. The settlement papers note that the closure was partly related to the “potential liability” faced for the lawsuits.

But just as suddenly as it closed, Babu Ji reopened at the end of May in a new location near Union Square at 22 East 13th Street, where the Singhs are serving a very similar menu of their Australian-Indian hits. Eater has reached out to them for information and will update accordingly.

• All Coverage of Babu Ji [ENY]