LUBBOCK, Texas – On Monday, a federal judge in Amarillo dismissed the lawsuit against the parent company of Ruby Tequila’s, Fired Up Holding Company, and its owner Richard Kevin Foote.
Former employees of the now defunct restaurant company sued in 2017 when Ruby Tequila’s and Twisted Spigot locations closed down suddenly – leaving workers without jobs and without their final paychecks.
The lawsuit was filed in Amarillo but pertained also to former employees in Lubbock. Those who sued Fired Up and Foote claimed there were hundreds who never got paid.
In November, the attorney for the former employees, Jeff Backburn, announced a partial settlement with Chalak Mitras Group, LLC. The Chalak group sold Ruby Tequila’s to Fired Up, but, according to Blackburn, still played a management role prior to the restaurant closures.
More recently, a motion filed by the former employees said Foote was sentenced to prison time in California and the companies he was associated with are “insolvent.”
The State of California website confirms that Foote was recently put in prison. Media reports indicated that he was charged with stealing money from a California business.
Related Story: One year later, Ruby Tequila and Twisted Spigot employees still waiting on paychecks
Related Story: Ruby Tequila’s unpaid wages lawsuit partially settled
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to indicate there was previously a partial settlement in the case.