On Thursday, August 9, 2007, eleven Bangladeshi, Latino and Eastern European immigrant workers at Devi, a fine dining Indian restaurant in Manhattan, joined a federal lawsuit currently being litigated in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to end labor law violations, including illegal tip confiscation and minimum wage and overtime violations.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and Pryor Cashman LLP, attorneys for the workers in their lawsuit against Devi and its owner Rakesh Aggarwal, held a press conference that same day to announce the expanded legal action to 15 plaintiffs – the restaurant’s entire front staff of waiters, runners, and bussers. Devi owner Aggarwal is also the owner of the popular New York City Indian restaurant chain Baluchi’s.

Joshua Zuckerberg, the Pryor Cashman partner responsible for the litigation, spoke at the press conference.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), founded in 1974, is a national organization that protects and promotes the civil rights of Asian Americans.  By combining litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing, AALDEF works with Asian American communities across the country to secure human rights for all.