LaMalfa, Former Employee Settle Sawsuit

and Michael LaMalfa settled a lawsuit last week that was filed by Lenny Barclay, a former employee who LaMalfa supervised.

Barclay worked at LaMalfa as a maintenance man, food preparer and server.

In his lawsuit, he claimed:

• LaMalfa subject Barclay to "undeserved foul and defamatory language" while at work.
• On one occasion, LaMalfa assaulted and choked Barclay in the presence of other employees.
• Barclay suffered injuries as a result of the assault. He filed a claim with the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation and the BWC recognized he had a cervical sprain/strain and cervical contusion.
• Barclay was fired for filing the aforementioned claim.

Barclay asked for more than $25,000 in compensation, claiming that LaMalfa created a hostile work environment for Barclay, caused him severe, emotional distress and fired him as a retaliatory act.

Lake County Court of Common Pleas records state that the suit was settled and dismissed at (LaMalfa's) costs on Aug. 3. However, no additional details about the settlement were made public.