Signature Room workers fight for owed pay in new lawsuit

The Signature Room, perched on the 95th and 96th floors of the former John Hancock Center, cited post-COVID economic woes before the iconic Chicago restaurant shut down overnight in 2023. Owners Rick Roman and Nick Pyknis posted the closure notice, as more than 100 workers lost jobs abruptly, reported Block Club Chicago.

UNITE HERE Local 1 sued in October 2023 over WARN Act violations, according to Block Club. The law demands 60 days' notice for mass layoffs at firms with 75-plus employees, the publication explains. A federal judge ordered Infusion Management, the operator, to pay $1.54 million in March 2024.

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Workers have seen no money nearly two years later. A new lawsuit, filed last week, accuses Roman and Pyknis of shifting assets, says ABC News. They allegedly moved funds from Infusion to RSR Capital Group to pay personal debts, not employee claims, according to the complaint, as reported by Block Club Chicago.

“Roman directed and controlled the assets of Infusion and RSR to be used for his own and Pyknis’s benefit rather than to satisfy creditors,” the lawsuit reads. It seeks to pierce the corporate veil for personal liability. Attempts to reach Roman and Pyknis failed; according to court records recalled by Block Club, they have 30 days to respond.