Employees of Catalina Beach Club in Atlantic Beach were paid illegally low wages and failed to receive state-mandated overtime, according to a lawsuit.
The lawsuit, which is seeking class-action status and was filed last month in state Supreme Court in Nassau County, contends that dozens of staffers at the tony beach club, many under the age of 18, were paid less than the minimum wage and often not paid for the hours they worked as cabana and bathroom attendants, lifeguards and maintenance workers.
"New York labor laws serve a critical purpose... and it applies to young people and to older people," said Patricia Kakalec, the plaintiff's Brooklyn-based attorney. "And it's important to see compliance across a whole range of businesses in the state."
Reached by phone Tuesday, a Catalina manager said he had "no comment" and hung up on a Newsday reporter.
Attorneys for the beach club, which records show was served suit papers on Aug. 10, have yet to formally respond to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ethan, Jesse and Alex Cohen, three siblings from Lynbrook, at least one of whom has worked summers at the private beach club between 2015 and 2022, records show. Ethan Cohen, who worked as a cabana attendant, and his two sisters, who worked as lifeguards, are not currently employed at Catalina.
More than 70 other current and former Catalina workers could also sign onto the suit, the document states.
As a cabana attendant and later a "head cabana boy," Ethan...
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