These types of things happen all the time. Whether knowingly or unknowing, it is the employer's responsibility to ensure workers are paid according to the California Labor Laws.
Labor Commissioner’s Office Reaches $1.6 Million Settlement Securing Unpaid Wages for 22 Bay Area Restaurant Workers
San Francisco—The Labor Commissioner’s Office has reached a $1.6 million settlement with the owners of Z & Y Restaurant in San Francisco, securing compensation for 22 workers for unpaid minimum wages, overtime, split shift premiums and tips identified in a wage theft investigation from 2019. Including expected post-settlement interest, each worker will receive on average approximately $73,000 under this settlement from payments that began today after the employer entered into an agreement with the Labor Commissioner’s Office.
Read the full article here:
https://www.dir.ca.gov/DIRNews/2021/2021-83.html