Former employees of Shim Hyung-rae have won a lawsuit over wages that the disgraced comedian-turned-director failed to pay at his bankrupt movie production company, court officials said Sunday.
The Seoul Southern District Court ordered Shim, head of Younggu-Art Entertainment, to pay his employees 891.5 million won ($770,190) in monthly wages and severance pay to his employees, they said.
After the ruling, the employees are expected to receive their payments from the winning bid of 4 billion won in a foreclosure auction of Younggu-Art's real estate and its building. The court is scheduled to divvy up the bid money among Shim's creditors, with the ex-employees on the top of the priority list.
The employees first filed a complaint over unpaid wages in August with the Seoul metropolitan agency of employment and labor.
The prosecution took over the case in October and indicted him the following month.
Shim, who had previously admitted most of the charges against him, chose not to defend himself at the trial.
Once an iconic slapstick comedian in the 1980s, Shim delved into film production in the 1990s but had mixed results. His production company fell into heavy debts this year after his latest Hollywood-targeted film, "The Last Godfather (2010)," disappointed at the box office.
Aside from wage issues, Shim also came under embezzlement charges this year and had also allegedly threatened his investors who demanded a refund of their money. (Yonhap News)
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영구아트 前 직원 체불임금 지급소송 승소
심형래 씨가 대표로 있는 ㈜영구아트의 전 직원 들이 체불임금 청구소송에서 승소했다.
서울남부지법 민사13부(부장판사 강인철)는 김모씨 등 영구아트 전 직원 43명이 영구아트를 상대로 낸 임금 및 퇴직금 8억9천153만원 지급 청구 소송에서 원고 승소 판결했다고 18일 밝혔다.
이에 따라 직원들은 근저당권자인 모 저축은행의 신청으로 임의경매 절차에 따 라 40억원에 매각된 영구아트 명의의 토지 6천827㎡와 1천655㎡ 규모의 건물에 대해 배당 권리를 확보할 수 있을 것으로 예상된다.
경매 낙찰금 40억원 중 직원들의 최종 3개월분 임금과 3년분 퇴직금인 8억9천15 3만원은 최우선변제분에 해당하는 것으로 전해졌다.
법원은 배당기일인 내년 1월 17일 채권자를 대상으로 낙찰금을 분배할 예정이다 .
영구아트 측은 이번 소송에서 변론을 포기했다.
