Bay Area Tech Mogul Once Convicted Of Domestic Violence Ordered To Pay Limo Driver Back Wages
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) – A Bay Area tech mogul who was convicted of domestic violence is facing new legal trouble, after his limo driver of two years said he did not pay him.
Sitting in a Legal Aid office in San Francisco, Khabib Lutfiyev told KPIX 5 his payment has been a long time coming.
"I worked for about three months and they promised they would pay me $7,000," Lutfiyev said.
Lutfiyev said in 2012, he agreed to become a driver for former RadiumOne CEO Gurbaksh Chahal at a rate of $7,000 a month plus rent.
Chahal made headlines in 2014 after being convicted for beating his girlfriend at his Rincon Hill home, in an attack captured on video.
The limo driver said a home in Brisbane for him and his family was paid for, but that was it. "What happened to my salary? Where's the rest of the money?" Lutfiyev said.
Lutfiyev said he was forced to drive Chahal around in his Rolls Royce and Ferrari day and night, even finding girls for parties at Chahal's condo. The driver said he was on call 24 hours a day, always available through the PingMe app that Chahal created.
"He doesn't pay me, this is the way he played until 2014, January. And he told me that 'I'll pay you the $57,000'," the driver said.
Then, without payment, Lutfiyev said the relationship soured and Chahal then stopped paying the driver's Brisbane rental.
"They stopped paying for the house, so the landlord just closed the doors and kick out everybody," Lutfiyev recalled.
The driver said he lost all his belongings, and his family moved to Dayton, Ohio until Legal Aid stepped in.
"We see workers who are promised a salary, a monthly salary and not paid at all," Katherine Fiester of Legal Aid told KPIX 5.
This month, the California Labor Commission ruled Chahal owes the driver $480,000, including overtime and double time.
"With Khabib it was horrendous, he was working 24 hours. Most of the time he was on call," Fiester said. "He was expected to be at Mr. Chahal's beck and call."
Chahal has until Wednesday to appeal the Labor Commission's ruling. In order to file the appeal, Chahal will have to pay up the entire $480,000 first.