Seven laid-off workers at Ebony Media have filed a lawsuit seeking to recover back pay and unreimbursed expenses, plus missing contributions that were to have been made to their 401(k) plan and additional damages.

Ebony and Jet were sold in June 2016 to the Austin-based private equity firm CVG, headed by businessman Michael Gibson, who is named as a defendant along with human resources executive Elizabeth Burnett. Between May 19 and June 14, the company laid off most of its staff, according to the suit, and failed to pay from one to four weeks of severance, the suit alleges.

“Paying people for their work is a matter of basic human dignity, and the practice of denying employees their wages immediately before firing them is especially harmful,” said attorney Innessa Huot, who is representing Joshua David Mardice, Jasmine Washington, Juan Miranda, Preston Norman, Christina Santi, Sandeep Singh and Rickey Turner, who were laid off at various times between mid-May and mid-June this year.

“By filing this lawsuit, we intend to hold Ebony and CVG Group to account for their actions.”

Ebony has not produced a print version of the popular magazine since the October/November 2018 issue.

Jet magazine, which was also acquired by CVG, had already gone all digital under previous owner Johnson Publishing.

Calls and e-mails to Ebony Media were not returned by press time.