920 14th Street, NW photo by DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb
From the office of the DC Attorney General:
“Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that Park Place Inc., which owns and operates the restaurant, nightclub, and event venue The Park at 14th, will pay $243,350 to harmed workers and the District to resolve an investigation that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has conducted into alleged violations of DC’s wage and hour laws. OAG found that the company failed to provide hundreds of workers with paid sick leave, misclassified some workers as independent contractors to avoid providing them the wages and benefits they were entitled to as employees, and illegally retaliated against certain workers who raised concerns about tips or wages by removing them from the schedule or cutting their pay rate.
“Today, we’re putting money back in the pockets of hundreds of workers who were denied the compensation and benefits they were legally entitled to,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “Wage theft and illegal worker misclassification does not only harm hard-working employees – it also interferes with honest businesses’ ability to compete on a level playing field. At a time when families across the District are struggling to make ends meet, my office will continue to fight to make sure workers receive what they’ve earned and that businesses operating in DC follow the law.”
The Park at 14th is a large restaurant, nightclub, and event venue located at 920 14th Street NW in Ward 2. An investigation by OAG uncovered evidence that it violated DC’s wage and hour laws with respect to more than 270 workers by:
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Denying workers paid sick leave. DC restaurants must provide employees with accrued sick leave, and employees may start using paid sick leave they earn after 90 days of employment. However, OAG alleges that from 2021 through 2024, the Park at 14th failed to provide over 200 workers with any paid sick leave.
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Depriving workers of wages and benefits by misclassifying them as independent contractors. OAG alleges that from 2021 to the present, The Park at 14th illegally classified some of its workers as independent contractors even though they should have been considered employees under DC law. Worker misclassification can prevent workers from receiving what they are entitled to as employees, including the right to paid overtime wages when they work more than 40 hours in a week and the safety net of unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation.
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Retaliating against certain workers who spoke out about labor law violations. OAG found that The Park at 14th illegally retaliated against multiple workers who raised concerns about their pay. The company removed several workers from the schedule after they asked questions, and in at least one case, lowered a worker’s hourly rate for at least one pay period after they raised concerns to management. In DC, it is illegal for employers to reduce a worker’s hours, demote them, terminate them, discipline them, threaten them, or harass them in response to them voicing concerns or complaints about potential violations of wage and hour laws.
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Failing to provide workers with written notice of their rate of pay, tip-sharing policy, and pay dates, as required under DC law. OAG’s investigation revealed that The Park at 14th had systematically failed to provide its workers with required written notice regarding their pay and related policies.
Under the terms of a settlement agreement to resolve OAG’s allegations, The Park at 14th will:
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Pay $127,321 to harmed workers.
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Pay $116,029 to the District in civil penalties.
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Provide retroactive sick leave to current employees.
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Make changes to ensure compliance with all DC wage and hour laws and file annual reports to OAG for three years.
A copy of the settlement is available here.
This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Kara Mahoney; Assistant Section Chief Dennis Corkery; and Section Chief Graham Lake.
OAG’s Efforts to Protect Workers
OAG’s Workers’ Rights and Antifraud Section is dedicated to fighting wage theft, protecting District workers, and ensuring that businesses in the District compete on a level playing field. Since AG Schwalb became the District’s elected, independent Attorney General in January 2023, OAG has secured more than $20 million for workers and the District. In total, since gaining independent wage theft enforcement authority in 2015, OAG has secured over $35 million by investigating and bringing enforcement actions against employers who violate District law. OAG’s wage theft enforcement efforts have focused on industries with high populations of vulnerable workers, such as construction, restaurants and hospitality, healthcare, and the gig economy. Learn more about OAG’s efforts to uphold workers’ rights over the last year in OAG’s 2025 Labor Day Report.
How to Report Wage and Hour Violations
Workers who believe that their rights have been violated, or that they have experienced wage theft or other wage and hour violations, can contact OAG by calling (202) 724-7730 or emailing [email protected] or [email protected].”