Pil was fined an additional $23,000 for wrongfully discharging Rosenbluth.
Penalties against Pil were tripled in a Dec. 12 ruling by Judge Samuel Conti. He awarded Rosenbluth liquidated damages equal to the employee’s nearly $66,000 in back wages and wrongful discharge penalty, with more than $13,000 in interest going back five years to when the case was first filed, plus $3,000 in “waiting time” penalties.
The firm of Rosenbluth’s attorney, William Flynn, was awarded nearly $44,000.
According to the final ruling, Pil owes Rosenbluth and his legal counsel $190,733.64.
“This means the judgment is final. He is either going to pay it, or we can use appropriate legal means to collect it if he has it,” said Flynn, when informed Pil had not filed an appeal. “It will take us a while to figure out if he has it.”
Pil represented himself at the trial, claiming to be impoverished. In 1999, the rabbi pleaded guilty to a felony count of illegally structuring roughly $1.72 million in coin or currency deposits to intentionally evade federal reporting laws, for which he was sentenced to nine months in a halfway house and fined $10,000.
“Justice was done, but it was too late,” said rosenbluth. “I just wish I can collect.”
Repeated calls to Pil were not returned by press time.
— Joe Eskenazi