Jury: Arcada Theater owner didn't pay former manager

A Kane County jury has determined Ron Onesti, who owns the historic Arcada Theater in St. Charles, violated the state's deceptive practices act by failing to pay a former manager at a closed dinner club he owned.

Katherine Bell, who worked as manager at Onesti Dinner Club from August 2008 through December 2009, had since been paid about $19,000 in 12 paychecks since her employment ended, but the jury this week ruled Onesti violated the act, which could trigger a $1,500 per-violation fine against him, records show.

Bell sued Onesti in late 2013, accusing him of retaliatory firing and violating other state regulations. She sought more than $37,000 in back pay and damages.

The dinner club, in a former church on the city's west side, closed in 2011.

Bell's attorney, John Ireland, argues in the lawsuit that Bell was fired after she asked for her fair pay. The lawsuit also seeks reimbursement of attorney fees and punitive damages.

Ireland declined to comment beyond the lawsuit.

Onesti's attorneys, Joseph Gagliardo and Antonio Caldarone, could not be reached for comment Friday. But they have argued Bell's case is weak, lacking in facts and should be thrown out.

"More than three years after filing and then withdrawing a wage claim with the Illinois Department of Labor and after changing attorneys three times, (Bell), now with a fourth attorney, has filed a four-count complaint seeking alleged unpaid wages and bonuses," Onesti's attorneys wrote in a court motion. "Plaintiff's complaint is devoid of facts to support her claims."

Onesti has not been charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

The case is expected to wrap up in mid- to late February, at which time Judge Mark Pheanis also will decide the potential penalties for the Deceptive Practice violation and a jury will decide if Onesti violated the state's wage act.