Bryan Pace/for New York Daily News
Gristidis supermarket chain owner John Catsimatidis hasn’t paid the $ 645,000 in legal fees to the team representing workers at his stores, their attorney said in a letter filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
Billionaire grocery store magnate and failed mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis is a deadbeat pursuing a “wasteful” appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, lawyers for workers who sued him over unpaid overtime said Tuesday.
The wannabe Republican politician agreed on Sept. 19 to cough up $ 645,000 in additional legal fees to the legal team representing the workers at his Gristedes supermarket chain.
But the cash was due Monday and “The Cat Man” didn’t pay up, said Justin Swartz, lawyer for the workers.
“Defendants did not pay the $ 645,000 yesterday,” Swartz wrote in a letter Tuesday to Manhattan Federal Court Judge Andrew Peck. “Instead, defendants told the class counsel that, without even applying for an extension from the court, they have unilaterally decided to delay payment until seven days after the parties agree on, and the court orders, a stipulation to address future fees generated by defendant John Catsimatidis’ wasteful appeal to the United States Supreme Court.”
RELATED: CATSIMATIDIS SETTLES OVERTIME DISPUTE WITH GRISTEDES WORKERS
Swartz requested that the judge schedule a hearing to enforce the $ 645,000 payment.
Catsimatidis lawyer Ira Glauber called the issue “much ado about nothing” and said Gristedes will hand over the $ 645,000 as soon as the judge signs a clarifying order that both parties have agreed on.
Catsimatidis has already ponied up $ 3.9 million in legal fees in the case and is in the process of paying the workers $ 3.5 million pursuant to a settlement reached in 2009. His lawyers didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
The lawsuit, which was initially filed in 2004, never went to trial.
dbeekman@nydailynews.com
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