GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — After a popular trampoline park in Gwinnett County shut down, former employees say their final paychecks bounced as the owner faced eviction after a lawsuit was filed against him months earlier.
The Urban Air Adventure Park location on Scenic Highway near Snellville closed its doors early in August, to the surprise of the mostly teenage employees who worked there.
“For my very first job, I didn’t expect it,” said 15-year-old Morgan Moore who worked at the location on Scenic Highway as a summer job.
When she deposited her final paycheck on August 13, her mom said it bounced a few days later.
“It wasn’t just my kid,” her mother Tiesha Ford told Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson. “Almost every child’s check bounced. It’s like they just didn’t care.”
Marcella Edwards says her 16-year-old daughter worked at the Urban Air location since January. Her final paycheck bounced as well, she said.
“She was really, really hurt,” said Edwards. “She worked the entire summer, saving up for back-to-school shopping.”
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Channel 2 Action News sent multiple emails to the owner, Gregory White Jr, but have not been answered.
According to court records, the property owner of the shopping center, Scenic Capital LLC, sued White and two family members in June. The complaint for dispossessory states that White defaulted on a commercial lease. Documents show he was facing eviction prior to the business closing in early August.
Parents of affected former employees say they haven’t been given any explanations or any reassurances that their kids will be paid.
Tiesha Ford says the check bouncing led to overdraft fees for her daughter’s bank account.
“He needs to compensate the children,” said Ford. “Not only for the funds that they worked for but also for the delinquent bounces that occurred.”
A spokesperson for Urban Air said that the location is individually owned and operated.
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Court documents indicate that attorneys for the property owner had difficulty reaching White after the lawsuit was filed.
Parents say there’s no excuse for their children not being paid.
“With these checks bouncing,” said Edwards, “that is definitely unacceptable.”
A hand-written closed sign on the door of the location offers “apologies for the inconvenience.”
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