Plaintiff alleges retail chain violated Fair Labor Standards Act

Miguel Barrientos-Ruiz has taken a bold step to challenge what he claims are unfair labor practices at a group of convenience stores in Texas. On February 16, 2026, Barrientos-Ruiz filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas against KAS Ventures LLC and its associated entities, alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The lawsuit is rooted in accusations that KAS Ventures LLC and its subsidiaries—San Bernardo Retail LLC, Shiloh Retail LLC, Ursula Retail LLC, San Dario Retail LLC—and an individual named Ashraf Mistry have systematically denied overtime pay to employees who worked more than 40 hours per week. Barrientos-Ruiz, who was employed as a cashier across multiple “Pump N Shop” locations owned by these entities, asserts that despite working extensive hours across different store locations, he was not compensated with the required overtime premium. The complaint highlights how employees were scheduled to work at various stores during the same workweek without proper aggregation of their total hours worked for overtime calculation.

Barrientos-Ruiz’s allegations are severe; he accuses the defendants of operating as a single integrated enterprise under common ownership and management but failing to comply with federal wage laws. He details his employment experience starting from February 2023, where he regularly worked over 40 hours weekly but received only straight-time pay instead of time-and-a-half for overtime. The complaint also points out that travel time between store locations during shifts was not compensated, further increasing his total unpaid work hours.

The plaintiff seeks recovery of unpaid wages along with liquidated damages and other compensations owed under FLSA provisions. Additionally, Barrientos-Ruiz requests attorney fees and costs associated with the legal proceedings. The lawsuit aims to represent similarly situated individuals who have been affected by these alleged practices through a collective action.

Representing Barrientos-Ruiz is attorney Trang Q. Tran from Tran Law Firm based in Houston, Texas. The case is presided over by judges in the Southern District of Texas under Case ID 5:26-cv-00225.