St. Paul Fish Company facing federal lawsuit for allegedly keeping tips meant for employees

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- St. Paul Fish Company and its owners are facing a federal lawsuit for allegedly running an illegal tipping pool at their Milwaukee Public Market location.

The United States Department of Labor filed a federal lawsuit claiming St. Paul Fish Company and its owners, Timothy Collins and Mary Beth Collins, kept tips that should have gone to employees.

The lawsuit claims for nearly two years,  the company and its owners violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by illegally keeping tips owed to employees.

The investigation revealed the owners allowed two managers to participate in the location's employee tip pool, money that should have only been distributed to regularly tipped employees.

According to the complaint, as many as 35 employees could have been impacted.

Now, the government is asking a judge to order the company and its owners to pay that money back and possibly pay extra penalties.

CBS 58 News reached out to the attorney representing the owners and did not hear back.