Former restaurant worker sues Jacksonville operator in federal court, alleging forced labor

A former restaurant worker is suing a Jacksonville restaurant operator in federal court. She claims he kept her working for him for nearly 14 years through threats and intimidation, and she’s alleging she was trafficked.

The woman behind the lawsuit says she spent more than a decade watching life pass her by from behind a drive-thru window. Now she’s taking the man she worked for to federal court, claiming forced labor.

“I would see customers coming to our restaurant and they would have kids, they would have their family, their kids would grow up, and me, I’m still at the same drive-thru window wondering what is outside that window,” said Marleatia Bess, who filed the lawsuit.

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Bess filed the lawsuit in federal court in Jacksonville last month. It names Zouhaier Hamami and Tunis Holdings, LLC, a company where state records list him as manager.

The suit claims Hamami recruited Bess around 2003, when she was about 18. She worked at what became Tunis Wings and Subs on Soutel Drive in Moncrief.

The complaint says Hamami threatened to fire her, make her homeless and keep her from getting another job if she pushed back.

“Threatening to make someone homeless, threatening to blackball them, threatening to take away their housing, their ability to work, that’s some of the coercion and control that was going on,” said Travis Walker, Bess’ attorney.

The lawsuit also claims Hamami kept her passport in his safe.

“So I knew that I had to just be quiet. I was afraid,” Bess said.

Bess says it took her over a decade to work up the courage to leave the company.

“When I did go to the Hubbard house... we created a safety plan in order for me to leave,” Bess said.

It took her years to understand what she’d been through as trafficking. She is suing under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act, claiming forced labor.

“A lot of trafficking survivors don’t realize they’re being trafficked at the time. They’re being groomed, they’re controlled, they are being coerced,” Walker said.

Action News Jax asked Walker what backs up her claims.

“There’s enough of evidence between text messages, emails and her testimony for us to feel as though she’s got enough of a case to come forward with,” Walker said.

Despite attempts to reach Hamami at his business and by phone, Action News Jax was unable to reach him for comment at the time of the broadcast.

These are allegations in a civil lawsuit, not a criminal case. When Action News Jax asked Walker why they didn’t pursue criminal charges, he said they opted to file a complaint under this federal trafficking statute.

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