Earlier this year, MGM Resorts came under fire for allegedly taking a generous $76,000 tip from one of its waitresses and returning it to the patron. The company has now disputed the allegations, although it did not provide an alternative version of the events that transpired.
MGM Was Accused of Disputing a $76K Tip
Last month, Tajia Mackyeon, a cocktail waitress at the MGM National Harbor Resort & Casino property in Maryland, made headlines after suing MGM due to a disputed high-stakes tip. The complaint states that, on April 13, Mackyeon was serving a high-stakes baccarat player who had been wagering huge sums per hand and winning big.
At one point, the player tipped her $76,000 in chips. Mackyeon was surprised and asked him if he was sure several times, with him confirming that the tip was meant for her. The waitress described the moment as surreal, since this was life-changing money for her.
The lawsuit emphasizes that the patron had not been intoxicated or acting out of the ordinary at the time of the tip.
Unfortunately, the complaint alleges that Mackyeon’s supervisors later approached her and told her to give them the chips. The chips were eventually returned to the customer, the suit states.
While the complaint doesn’t specify whether the managers wanted her to return the money or whether the customer had a change of heart, Mackyeon’s attorneys argue that this violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. On top of that, being denied this life-changing sum led to severe distress. As a result, the lawsuit seeks some $1.1 million in damages.
MGM Says It Took the Tip for Legitimate Business Reasons
In a court filing submitted May 29, MGM Resorts denied the waitress’s version of the story. The casino disputed Mackyeon’s claim that the chips were truly a $76,000 tip for her and denied returning the chips in question to the customer. In addition to that, MGM disputed the claims that the high-stakes baccarat player had been winning big, as Mackyeon’s lawsuit suggests.
However, MGM did not provide its own version of the events and did not disclose the fate of the chips in question.
MGM’s filing insisted on the company’s innocence. The company claimed that its actions did not violate the law and that it took the tip from Mackyeon due to what it called “legitimate business reasons.”
While the complaint asserted that employers are prohibited from keeping workers’ tips, MGM stated that a “bona fide, legitimate, and good faith dispute” exists over whether it owes wages or tips.
The case is now entering the discovery phase, where existing evidence will be examined, and the witness testimony will be heard.