Former Waiter Accuses Restaurant Owner of Threats, Forcing Him to House His Co-Workers | Eater SF

"I read that a server at Karimi Restaurant in San Jose is suing his employer, alleging the owner Rifakat Saiyed threatened deportation and warned he would "destroy him and his family." The lawsuit claims the employee was underpaid by about $80,000 over nearly four years, was forced to house two other employees at his apartment (where three Karimi employees and a fourth person remain and face potential eviction), and was coerced to "affirmatively misrepresent" that Saiyed’s wife worked at the restaurant to obtain COVID-related unemployment benefits. The server, Afwan Mohammed, who arrived from India on a student visa and was the main leaseholder of the apartment, filed a temporary restraining order against Saiyed in September that was approved; Saiyed has denied the harassment claims and could not be reached for comment." - Dianne de Guzman