SPOKANE, Wash. — In two separate Washington State Department of Labor and Industries cases in King County, Sam Adams, the owner of the Spokane Shock, has been ordered to pay workers thousands of dollars in unpaid wages, according to court documents.
The court documents do not say if the people who filed the claims are current or former Shock employees.
The cases were filed in Western Washington, where Adams currently resides.
In one of the cases, a judge issued a warrant in January 2022 calling on Adams to pay $3,301.94 in unpaid wages to an unnamed employee. Another case obtained by KREM 2 shows that a judge ordered Adams to pay another unnamed employee $6,040.24 in late August 2021.
Between those two filings, Adams was ordered to pay a total of $9,342.18 in unpaid wages.
According to a Labor and Industries spokesperson, these are not the only claims of unpaid wages leveled against Adams and the Spokane Shock.
In addition to the two already mentioned cases, the Labor and Industries spokesperson told KREM 2 that at least four other complaints have been filed against the Shock, with three being sent to Labor and Industries headquarters in Tumwater for more work.
Another case was filed in February 2022 and is being reviewed by an agent with Labor and Industries, according to the spokesperson. There is no estimate on when these cases will be resolved.
Those aren't the only people claiming Adams still owes them money.
Patrick Afif filed a lawsuit against Sam Adams and the Spokane Shock in King County Superior Court back in October 2021. Afif said in the lawsuit documents that he was offered the position of Assistant General Manager on Oct. 1, 2019.
Afif's complaint two years later states he wasn't paid commission for contracts that he landed for the Shock, money that he claims his contract guaranteed he would be paid. He is also asking that the amount of money he is owed be doubled by the court since Adams is still yet to pay it.
A dollar amount is not listed in the lawsuit documents obtained by KREM 2. Afif no longer works for the Spokane Shock and a trial for his case has been set for Oct. 3, 2022.
Afif declined to speak on camera about the lawsuit but did speak with a KREM 2 team member on the phone. During a separate phone call with another member of our investigative team, Adams acknowledged that Afif is owed money, but said that he would get paid when Adams himself gets paid.