South Carolina Restaurant Manager Owes Enslaved Worker More Than $500,000, Judge Rules

By Jess Smith First Posted: May 03, 2021 06:32 AM EDT

A former restaurant manager in South Carolina has been ruled to pay an enslaved worker more than $500,000 in damages after he forced the intellectually challenged black man to work for more than 100 hours a week unpaid.

Bobby Paul Edwards, 56, is currently serving his 10-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to the forced labor charges in 2019. Back then, he was ordered by the court to pay $273,000 worth of unpaid wages to John Christopher Smith. The amount also included unpaid overtime compensation at the J&J cafeteria.

However, according to The Hill, on April 21, 2012, the Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit found that the previous amount did not account for the federal labor laws. The court stated that Smith is entitled to double the amount of what he was owned during the time that he was imprisoned in 2009 to 2014, which is about $546,000.

The 43-year-old enslaved worker faced physical violence, intimidation, and threats throughout his period of imprisonment while working in the South Carolina restaurant. He was coerced into working more than 100 hours every week without pay.

Due to the concern about labor laws not being considered, the appellate court sent back the ruling to reassess the award that Smith is supposed to receive to the district court. The payment was calculated based on the time that the payment was delayed.

Meanwhile, the public defender assigned to Edwards did not respond to any requests for comment about the ruling that came out.

Five Years a Slave

According to Washington Post, court documents stated that smith started working at J&J Cafeteria as a 12-year-old. He worked there since 1990 and loved his job when the business was run by Edwards' relatives.

However, in 2009, Edwards took over the management of the restaurant. This was when Smith became an enslaved worker, and his wages disappeared along with the humane treatment.

Smith was then moved by Edwards to live in an apartment which the attorneys described as "harmful to human health." The place was infested with roaches and was also dubbed as "sub-human" living conditions.

The enslaved worker was then forced to work 100 hour weeks without days off and wages. The court records also stated that Edwards took full advantage of Smith's cognitive disability.

Dubbed as a "reign of terror," Edwards also kept the enslaved worker from his family. He also threatened to have Smith arrested and verbally abused him with racial slurs.

Smith, later on, stated that he was afraid that Edwards would kill him. He also added that he really wanted to escape the place, but he didn't know how without being hurt.

Smith's fellow employees were reluctant to report the abuse they witnessed because they were afraid of Edwards.

In October of 2014, Smith's days as an enslaved worker were put to an end by Geneane Caines, who reported Edwards to the authorities. According to WYFF, Caines was the mother-in-law of one of Smith's fellow workers and feared for Smith's life, prompting her to go to the authorities.

WATCH: Restaurant Manager Kept Black Man As Slave - The Young Turks