Former bar staffer sues Society Garden in Macon, alleging unpaid wages and defamation
A former bar manager for The Society Garden in Macon is suing the establishment, arguing the owners failed to properly pay her and other employees.
Brooke Scott filed the lawsuit Wednesday against owners Andrew Collier and Brad and Meagan Evans for allegedly violating the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay minimum wage and overtime pay. Scott also alleged retaliation, unjust enrichment and defamation. She's seeking a trial and to be properly compensated for her work at Society Garden.
Scott was hired in 2020 to build a cocktail bar for Society Garden, the lawsuit said. At the time, the venue only served wine and beer and the owners were working on getting licensing to operate a full bar, but preparations were delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She "developed a system for tracking the liquor that the establishment had in stock, processes for hiring and training bar staff and educating employees on the menu" in anticipation of the pandemic ending, according to the lawsuit.
Scott also developed a regular bar menu, shot specials and a rotating beer selection specific to holidays like Pride and Mother's Day, the lawsuit said.
All of Scott's work toward the bar program resulted in success, as Society Garden saw an increase in frequent customers and monthly revenue, according to the lawsuit.
Meagan Evans told The Telegraph they were unaware of the lawsuit, but Society Garden values its employees.
"We work hard along side our team," said Meagan Evans. "Sometimes people have to be let go, it is an unfortunate part of running a business. We have not been privy to the law documents yet. Once we are, we will work closely with our lawyer to respond accordingly."
Pay discrepancy: More than $7,000 lost
Scott was promised $10 per hour plus tips and an additional $150 per week for extra preparation work when she was hired at Society Garden, according to her lawsuit. She was initially paid correctly, but started noticing issues in her pay later on.
In 2022, Scott allegedly didn't get paid for close to 780 hours of work, coming out to nearly $7,800 in unpaid wages, according to the lawsuit. She also alleged she wasn't always being paid the extra $150 per week, but she was receiving her tips.
Scott also only got pay stubs for five pay periods, which made it difficult for her to fill out loan applications and resulted in denials, according to her lawsuit. The owners denied her a raise when she asked, according to the suit.
Meagan Evans allegedly admitted to Scott that the company's payroll had been screwed up in 2023, blaming Collier for issues, and the company changed its payroll software, according to the lawsuit. Evans allegedly admitted to not paying Scott correctly and not withholding taxes appropriately.
Scott met with Collier, Brad and Meagan Evans to discuss her time and attendance records, tips, bonuses and compensation in the Spring of 2023. In that meeting, she said her pay didn't make sense and she was dealing with significant repairs to her home. She still had trouble taking out loans because of the discrepancies in income reported by Society Garden, according to the lawsuit.
Scott's managers promised the issue would be corrected but their relationship deteriorated after their meeting, the lawsuit said.
Scott raised concern about one of her paychecks being incorrect in June 2023, at which point Evans replied with "I've had ... enough; this payroll is done correctly," according to the lawsuit. She further added that she would no longer be paying Scott her bonus payments.
Scott declined $3,000 from Brad Evans that was meant to solve the issue, but she did not believe that amount accounted for the money she lost.
Scott went on leave from the venue to visit her grandmother and was fired when she returned, according to her lawsuit. Scott's lawsuit said she was led to believe she was fired because of her complaints against management.
Scott alleged in her lawsuit that Society Garden management gave bad feedback to a Warner Robins restaurant that she later applied to, further hurting her ability to get a new job, even after the hiring manager had complimented her "outstanding resume."
Manager allegedly defamed Scott on Instagram
The lawsuit details one incident in which Society Garden shared a photo of its "Hippie Juice" cocktail, which Scott helped create, according to the suit. She said in an Instagram story that she didn't support them using it, which led Scott's friends and former customers to comment on Society Garden's post defending her.
The lawsuit alleged that Brad Evans responded to comments accusing Scott of giving drinks away in order to get bigger tips, though the suit says that wasn't true and Evans' comments were later edited.
Another comment made by Brad Evans said that he "was a very kind adult by not pressing charges" the day he fired Scott.
A lawsuit only represents one side of a legal argument. Allegations haven't been proven in court and Society Garden hasn't yet filed a legal reply.
