woman preparing food
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A group of 32 Fresno restaurant workers – predominantly immigrants – may see some pay they never received after the California Labor Commissioner’s Office reached a $2 million settlement for wage theft claims against Pearl B-Star, Inc., the owner of Lin’s Fusion, a buffet restaurant on Blackstone Avenue just north of Shaw.

The restaurant violated state labor laws by paying employees in cash and not compensating workers for overtime, split shifts, meal periods, and contract wages, according to a news release.

The case was originally referred to the state’s Bureau of Field Enforcement by the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office in 2019.

Workers who were employed by Lin’s Fusion between Sept. 26, 2016, and Sept. 26, 2019, are encouraged to contact the state Labor Commissioner Office at 619-767-2039 to see if they are entitled to lost wages under the settlement.

In January, the Fresno City Council passed a resolution allowing the city attorney’s office to prosecute wage theft claims in the city. Councilmembers and City Attorney Andrew Janz said the additional powers were necessary to alleviate the backlog of claims that can take years to prosecute.

AB 594, signed into law in 2023, gave additional powers to public prosecutors to pursue wage theft claims.

Currently, if workers suspect they’re a victim of wage theft, they can bring it to the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office or file a claim directly with the California Labor Commissioner’s Office.

Pearl B-Star, Inc. is owned by Jinhai Lin, according to state business records.