Jay-Z's New York Nightspot Faces New Claims In Labour Lawsuit

LATEST: Employees at JAY-Z's New York City nightclub are hitting out at its managers for allegedly threatening them against having any involvement in an ongoing labour lawsuit against the venue.

The music mogul's hip-hop hotspot 40/40 was named in a lawsuit filed earlier this month (01Jul08) in a Manhattan court.

Employees of the sports bar claimed they were denied hourly wages and forced to be compensated by customer tips alone.

And workers are now claiming the club's general manager, Desiree Gonzalez, threatened one employee she would "f*** up his tax life" for having any involvement in the class-action suit.

According to a letter filed in court by the workers' lawyer, the 40/40 boss allegedly told another worker she would "lock him up" if he refused to sign a release for the court case.

Federal Judge Loretta Preska admitted earlier this month (Jul08) the club owners violated federal labour laws after reviewing an earnings report for at least two workers who showed they were not paid for overtime at the venue.

Hundreds of former employees could be eligible to collect on the claims if their case wins in court.