A bartender that is leaving Las Vegas had a message for his former colleagues. Edward Parker posted to a Facebook group that he was robbed at gunpoint at Lodge Hualapai, a gaming tavern near Summerlin.
It occurred in the early morning hours of December 4, 2020. The robber stole nearly $4,000, according to Parker. He claims that his employer made him pay back the entire loss and threatened termination if he did not agree to a repayment plan.
This was first reported by Vital Vegas. Parker’s statements are included in that tweet.
Parker called to Lodge Taverns corporate office hours after robbery
Parker says that two company executives called him to their corporate office the same morning as the robbery. He was told to repay the full amount at a rate of $300 per pay period until it was paid in full or be fired, according to Parker.
The contract was included in Parker’s public statement. The agreement notes that if he left the company before the amount was paid in full, he would still be responsible for the entire balance. My sources back the authenticity of Parker’s story.
I made several attempts to reach The Lodge for their side. The company’s website is offline. Its social media accounts are inactive. Contact information appears to be inaccurate.
I reached out to the company for comment through Facebook Messenger. I never received a response. The Lodge also did not respond to the Review-Journal’s requests for comment. Newsweek reported the same. To the best of my knowledge, the group has remained silent about Parker’s claims.
Parker goes on Las Vegas radio to tell story
The What’s Right With Sam & Ash Show in Las Vegas had Parker on as a guest the day after he posted his story on Facebook. He told the show’s hosts that he suffered from anxiety after the attack, and that the company terminated his employment once the money was paid back.
The Lodge Hualapai does not have an electronic lock system, he said. This allowed the robber to enter at 6:24am without having to get buzzed in the door by an employee. Nearly all gaming taverns have an electronic lock system that is part of a security plan. These are typically used on graveyard shifts, and in some cases, 24 hours a day.
Two other Lodge locations had been recently robbed at the time, Parked said. I found another company’s Hualapai tavern had been robbed shortly before The Lodge was.
Couple charged in robbery, Parker testified to grand jury
The Las Vegas Review-Journal covered this story. The Las Vegas newspaper reported that a couple was charged with robbing the Lodge Hualapai and other area bars.
Parker testified to the grand jury investigating the case. An indictment was handed down against a man and woman with no apparent connection to Parker.
What kind of company thinks that this is acceptable?
There is a lot to unpack here. It is hard to put myself in Parker’s shoes. Bars were closed or forced into lower capacity for most of 2020. Unemployment checks were delayed as Nevada’s system was overwhelmed. It was a tough industry during the pandemic.
The request to sign a contract taking responsibility was made the same morning as the robbery, according to Parker. It is difficult to think that somebody would be in the right state of mind to enter into such an important contract at that moment. It was also at one of the worst points of the pandemic.
Parker could have lost his job for another reason. He may have left himself open to not having a job and still being required to repay the robbery loss. I do not think any ethical company would put its employees in this situation.
Is this legal?
Under Nevada law, this type of activity may be legal. NAC 608.160 states the deduction may be made if “the employer has a reasonable basis to believe that the employee is responsible for the amount being deducted by the employer.”
I am not a lawyer, but I have a hard time buying any argument that says that Parker is both responsible for the entire loss and still trusted to stay on staff to pay it back, especially with two seemingly unconnected people indicted for the crime.
If he was involved in the robbery, or carelessly had too much money in the cash register that caused an excessive loss, it is hard to understand why he would be invited back to work there. And getting him to sign this contract hours after the robbery makes the intent behind it suspect to me.
Another concern I have is that Parker says that the amount he was required to repay was the entire robbery. This tells me that the company thinks an employee is responsible for any robbery, not that the amount lost here was excessive, as no reasonable loss amount was apparently deducted from the payment plan.
From my point of view, the company simply shifted all the responsibility any tavern owner has in a robbery to its staff, even though it apparently does not provide them with an electronic lock system.
Two lawyers were interviewed in the Review-Journal story linked earlier. Both expressed concerns about The Lodge’s behavior. One thinks there could be a viable wrongful termination claim.
Never sign anything like this without talking to a lawyer
It is difficult for me to come up with any reason to sign a document like this without talking to an attorney first. I imagine the only time that a lawyer would advise signing it is if it keeps you out of jail. If pushed into signing something like this, I recommend going to an attorney as soon as possible to get the contract voided.
What I would do if I was Parker
The first thing that I would do if I was Parker is send a demand letter for the nearly $4,000 plus interest by certified mail to the company. This is required by the local small claims court.
If the company fails to refund this money during the 14-day waiting period, I would file a lawsuit in small claims court for it. The filing fee is about $106.
Once the papers are filed, I would get a press release written on it, quoting my lawsuit. I would then give more interviews to local Las Vegas media. This would send the message to all employers out there that this will not be tolerated, regardless of legality, and it may get the $4,000 or so returned that was docked from Parker’s paycheck.
I would also file a complaint with Nevada gaming regulators. I feel strongly that this policy negatively affects the safety at gaming taverns for both patrons and employees. A bartender may feel the need to take matters into their own hands during the next robbery if they think it is their money. That could get someone shot.
The Lodge Taverns are getting what they deserve
It seems like a safe bet that the Lodge group of taverns will get far more than $4,000 in bad press from this. I know that I will never go into one again, and the response on social media shows that I am far from the only person that is boycotting it.
I am not a litigious person, but this cannot be left to stand as an acceptable business practice. I hope a court steps in and fixes any unresolved issues. Whatever happens, it seems clear that The Lodge has quite a mess to clean up.
Nobody should feel sorry for them. The company brought this entirely on itself with an employment practice that I find to be completely unethical.
However, I do feel for the employees. I hope better opportunities are available in the near future for those that need it.
