Group of bikini baristas win nearly $2M in legal battle

A group of 70 former bikini baristas in the Puget Sound region won a yearslong legal battle against their coffee stands' owner over pay violations. A King County Superior Court judge late last month ordered the baristas' boss to pay more than $1.8 million in back-pay, penalties and interest. A former employee filed the class action lawsuit in 2024 against Alan Tagle, who operated five bikini barista coffee stands in the Puget Sound area, most under the name "Beehive Espresso." Eventually, the lawsuit received class action status, which allowed other baristas who worked under Tagle to join. Working Washington Rights Center and Seattle law firm Schroeter Goldmark & Bender represented the baristas. The lawsuit claimed Tagle didn't issue paychecks to his baristas, but rather told them to take their wages and tips from the cash register. If the baristas did not meet a minimum number of sales, however, baristas would receive fewer shifts or be fired. Baristas "routinely forfeited wages and tips" to Tagle to meet his minimums, Schroeter Goldmark & Bender said in a news release. After a multiweek trial last month, King County Superior Court Judge Cindi Port found that Tagle and his company, Tagle & Partners, engaged in widespread violations of Washington wage and hour laws, including failure to pay minimum wage, tip theft, sick leave violations and restraints on employees' ability to work a second job. This case exposed a system built to enrich Mr. Tagle and exploit his workforce," said Lindsay Halm, a Schroeter Goldmark & Bender attorney representing the baristas. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved. This story was originally published September 8, 2026 at 9:49 AM.