Venice's Marina Car Wash Named in $6.6 Million Lawsuit

UPDATE: Press materials from the attorney general's office mistakenly said that the car washes were owned by the Sikder family, which owns the Koi restaurant chain. That family is unaffiliated with the owners of the car washes.

A $6.6 million lawsuit filed Monday by the state Attorney General's office alleges that eight Southland car washes, including one in Venice, have engaged in illegal business practices and worker exploitation.

The lawsuit comes after a five-month investigation by the state determined that the owners of the car washes denied employees minimum wage and overtime payments, kept inaccurate time records, denied workers adequate breaks and failed to pay people who quit or were fired.

'Today's lawsuit seeks to end this widespread pattern of worker exploitation,'' Brown said.

The car washes, including Marina Car Wash in Venice and Bonus Car Wash in Santa Monica, are owned by the Sikder family, which also owns the restaurant chain Koi, which has locations in Los Angeles, New York, Bangkok and Las Vegas.

''While Koi served up yellowtail tartare and Kobe beef carpaccio to
Hollywood celebrities, the restaurant's owners routinely denied wages, breaks and overtime pay to workers at their unlicensed car washes,'' Brown said.

According to allegations, the car washes operated for years without state licenses. The lawsuit, which was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, calls for restitution of the lost wages as well as civil penalities.