Leva Bonaparte and her husband, Lamar Bonaparte, are facing allegations of federal labor violations. The claims come after a former bartender sued their Charleston bar, Republic Garden & Lounge.
Leva Bonaparte and Lamar Bonaparte face federal labor violations in a new tip-skimming lawsuit
According to The Post and Courier, former Republic bartender Angelica Alberti filed the lawsuit on June 10, 2026. She filed it on behalf of herself and other bartenders who worked at the establishment over the past three years.
Alberti worked at Republic from May 12, 2025, through Nov. 2, 2025, for approximately 30 hours a week. According to the lawsuit, she earned $2.13 per hour plus tips.
Alberti alleged that the restaurant required bartenders to share a portion of their tips with managers or supervisors. She also accused the restaurant of failing to properly notify employees about its tip-credit system. In addition, she claimed the business deducted credit-card processing fees or similar charges from employees’ tips. The lawsuit states that these practices violated the Fair Labor Standards Act.
“Absent proper tip-credit notice, Defendant was not eligible to take a tip credit for any hours worked by Plaintiff or other Bartenders, entitling them to the full federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour for each such hour,” the lawsuit states.
Republic’s attorney, Nancy Bloodgood, dismissed the allegations, calling them “baseless.” She also told The Post and Courier that Alberti had been terminated for cause and “has been paid all the wages she was entitled to at the time of her termination.”
Alberti and the other bartenders are seeking compensation for allegedly withheld tips, unpaid federal minimum wages and other damages.
Republic Garden & Lounge opened on King Street in 2013. The property is prominently featured on Bravo’s Southern Hospitality. The series follows Bonaparte and the staff at Republic and her other Charleston businesses.
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