A group of bartenders is suing the operators of Ultra Music Festival, saying dozens of drink vendors are collectively owed more than $1.5 million for working the March event at Bayfront Park in Miami.
The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County in June, names Ultra Enterprises Inc. and Event Entertainment Group as defendants. The plaintiffs say the companies falsely accused bartenders of theft by fabricating inventory shortages, then ran a “sham internal investigation” to justify holding back pay and discourage complaints.
The 22 plaintiffs say the workers were hired to run drink booths March 27 through 29. The original 13 plaintiffs filed a class action, so others may join, and nine more bartenders have since signed on, according to the complaint.
The suit also says the operators shared the accusations with unnamed third parties. The filing does not identify those parties.
Ultra Entertainment representatives did not respond to requests for comment. Their attorney, Adam Schultz, did not reply to emails or text messages. Event Entertainment Group could not be reached.
The case matters to local workers because the festival has run at Bayfront Park since 2001, and most past lawsuits against its operators came from neighbors and homeowner groups over noise or the event itself. This one centers on pay for the people staffing the festival’s bars.
