Law clinic wins settlement in employment case

Students in the Transnational Worker Rights Clinic secured a favorable settlement for their clients in an employment case filed against Veggie Heaven, an Austin restaurant. The students represented Hugo Roque and Abel Aguilar-Ramos, two former employees, in a wage dispute with the restaurant. The clinic began work on the case in fall 2006, and students worked on it over four semesters. Clinic students on the case included Edmundo De La Fuente, Sonia Johnston, Rebecca Kalmus, Helena Coronado-Salazar, Roxanne Tizravesh, Christie Turner and Kevin Vela. They were supervised by Professor Bill Beardall, director of the clinic and executive director of the Equal Justice Center. The students met with their clients, investigated the facts, attempted to negotiate a resolution with the employer, and eventually filed a lawsuit in Travis County Court against Veggie Heaven alleging violations of the workers’ minimum wage and overtime rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Texas Minimum Wage Act. The parties reached a settlement. The terms of the settlement are confidential. The Transnational Worker Rights Clinic is based at the Central Texas Immigrant Worker Rights Center, a project of the Equal Justice Center. The clinic is supported by a grant from the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Foundation, and is part of the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice at the Law School.