Bobby Paul Edwards kept John Christopher as his slave for the past five years where he made him not only work for unpaid wages but also made him commit to overtime work for over 100 hours a week and used to hit him with fists, belt, pans and pot, according to the Department of Justice.
Black Man Enslaved By His White Boss For 5 Years Should Be Given $546,000 In Compensation, A Court Ruled
By
Samantha in
Heartbreaking
On 7th May 2021
advertisement
A court ruling has announced $546,000 in compensation for a man with an intellectual disability who was enslaved by a restaurant owner in South Carolina for five years.
In 2019, the Justice Department said in a press release that Bobby Paul Edwards, who owned the J&J Cafeteria in Conway, South Carolina, pleaded guilty to one count of forced labor for "coercing an African-American man with an intellectual disability to work extensive hours at a restaurant for no pay," and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Reuben Long Detention Center via AP
After the case was announced, Edwards was also asked by the court to pay John Christopher his unpaid wages and overtime compensation that made an estimate of about $273,000.
Getty Images
advertisement
The restaurant owner forced John to work 100 hours week overtime without pay and according to the press release he would also hit the man with a belt, fists, and pots and pans.
Reuben Long Detention Center via AP
The Court of Appeals gave the final judgment on April 21 and ruled that Smith was entitled to double that amount, which would be $546,000.
The court further made remarks that the district court didn't properly take into account the federal labor laws when it decided upon the compensation.
Reuben Long Detention Center via AP
"Minimum wages and overtime compensation must be paid on a current basis as work is done, such that an employee receives the prescribed compensation without delay. When an employer fails to pay those amounts, the employee suffers losses, which includes the loss of the use of that money during the period of delay," the court said in its filing.
Reuben Long Detention Center via AP