TODAY’S TALKER

Robbed bartender sues, saying bosses made him pay back money

In the early morning of Dec. 4, 2020, Edward Parker was in the final leg of his shift at a Las Vegas bar when a man walked in, pointed a gun at him and demanded all the cash on hand. As the gunman took money out of the bar’s cash registers ,he forced Parker to kneel on the floor with his hands on his head, according to a lawsuit Parker filed this month. The intruder allegedly made off with nearly $4,000.

Still traumatized, Parker only hours later found himself in an office in front of the owner and a senior leader of the bar and restaurant, the Lodge Hualapai. Parker told them what had happened, but he was stunned when they explained he would have to repay what was stolen, the lawsuit says. Not wanting to lose his job during the pandemic, Parker agreed and eventually reimbursed the bar.

Now, Parker is suing to get that $4,000 back. In a lawsuit filed Feb. 1 in Clark County, Nev., he alleges the Lodge’s managers coerced him into signing a reimbursement agreement and then wrongfully fired him after the amount was paid. About a week after the robbery, police arrested two suspects. The lawsuit says there is no evidence Parker knew them.

Parker was “a victim of the robbery,” Samuel Mirejovsky, one of Parker’s lawyers, told The Washington Post. The Lodge Hualapai did not return emails. The establishment’s owner could not be reached for comment.

Parker suffered “major anxiety” and panic attacks after the robbery, according to his lawsuit. Moreover, Parker said, every time he saw the $300 deducted from

paycheck, he was reminded of the incident.