Meshna v. Scrivanos
Annotate this CasePlaintiffs, current and former employees at Dunkin’ Donuts stores, brought suit against Defendants, a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee and the entity that performed management functions for those stores, alleging that Defendants had implemented a no-tipping policy at some of their stores in violation of Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, 152A (the Tips Act). The superior court granted summary judgment for Defendants, concluding that the no-tipping policy was not a violation of the Tips Act. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding (1) the Tips Act allows an employer to maintain a no-tipping policy; (2) an employer may be liable under the Tips Act if the employer fails clearly to communicate the no-tipping policy to customers, who subsequently leave tips that are retained by the employer; and (3) an employer may not be held liable if the employer clearly communicates the no-tipping policy to customers, who nonetheless leave tips that are retained by the employer.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.