Restaurateur Pinky Cole, who has been in the media lately touting the restructuring of her famed Slutty Vegan restaurants, is facing renewed legal scrutiny after lawyers for former employees of Bar Vegan say she and her business partners have failed to pay a court-approved settlement related to a 2022 unpaid wage lawsuit.
Inside the Suit
The $95,000 settlement — covering damages and legal fees — was approved December 2024 following a class-action lawsuit brought by former Bar Vegan server Morgan Georgia and others in 2022, who alleged the Atlanta restaurant withheld tips, failed to pay overtime, and violated federal minimum wage laws.
But during a recent court hearing, lawyer Travis Foust, who represents the former workers, told a federal judge that not a cent of the agreed-upon funds has been paid. Foust said the restaurant’s legal team told him the payment was contingent on securing financing, which has yet to materialize.
“I’m concerned about the ability to collect upon the settlement,” Foust told a federal judge on April 16, adding that he intends to file a motion to enforce payment and request additional legal fees.
Cole was listed as a defendant in the Bar Vegan suit because she was CEO of Slutty Vegan Inc. at the time. However, in court, Cole said she did not own Bar Vegan nor handle its day-to-day operations.
A representative for Cole told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Bar Vegan was owned by Slutty Vegan Inc.—a corporate entity that recently underwent restructuring. Cole has since distanced herself from the original company, launching what she describes as “Slutty Vegan 2.0.”
“At that time, as a result of that resolution, everybody on the board resigned,” Cole told the judge. “I was no longer the CEO and no longer on the board, the estate handled all correspondence moving forward. So I did not know that I was required to communicate on behalf of the company, because I was released from all of my responsibilities as CEO and owner of Slutty Vegan, Inc.”
It remains unclear whether Bar Vegan was part of the assets Cole reacquired. Her team declined to comment on that point.
Meanwhile, one of the defense attorneys, John Litchfield, said the lack of funding stems from Slutty Vegan Inc.’s insolvency proceedings, which occurred shortly after the settlement agreement.
Judge J.P. Boulee expressed concern over the case’s delay and signaled that it would be prioritized going forward.
This legal battle follows another lawsuit filed against Slutty Vegan’s Brooklyn location in 2023, where employees claimed they were denied bonuses and overtime pay.
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