‘Wage Theft’ Decision Against Catalina’s Former Owner – Loose Cannon
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When all else fails, try journalism. ‘Wage Theft’ Decision Against Catalina’s Former OwnerHusband and Wife Accuse Reardon Before Human Rights Board
The man who founded Daedalus Yachts and then shut it down, who bought Catalina Yachts and was forced to shut it down and who bought and then sold Tartan Yachts can now add another line to his boat-building resume. His corporate entity was respondent in a human rights case. A special magistrate for the Pinellas County Office of Human Rights in Florida has ordered Catalina Holdings LLC, controlled by Michael Reardon, to compensate two Catalina employees for “wage theft,” as defined by county ordinances. In February 12 judgements, Magistrate Christopher Schulman ordered the Edenton, N.C. businessman to pay double the unpaid wages owed to both David and Lisa Payce, longtime workers at Catalina’s factory in Largo, Florida. Husband and wife were originally owed $3,868 and $3,654, respectively, for 200 hours of unpaid work performed in September and October, 2025.
They were among the approximately 50 workers who had agreed to work temporarily, pay deferred until Reardon secured financing for the company, which he had purchased under Catalina LLC Holdings in April 2025 from Catalina’s longtime parent company in California. She was the warehouse manager and he, the warehouse clerk. They were responsible for storing parts from vendors and getting parts “kits” for each stage of production to each boat on the factory floor on time. They each earned an hourly wage of $15.75 an hour. In mid-October, Reardon was accused of reneging on his deal with the previous Catalina owner by failing to pay rent for the Largo manufacturing plant, according to documents filed in a separate court case. The factory shutdown was forced by an eviction action filed by the California seller, which had retained ownership of the real estate. The workforce was sent home, permanently as it turned out. On January 30, a Pinellas County Superior Court judge entered a default judgment against Reardon in that case, ordering him to pay the seller $1 million owed in an “asset purchase agreement.” Lisa Payce said at least five of other former Catalina workers plan to file wage theft complaints with the Office of Human Rights. She said a contingent of 20 to 30 of the workers of Vietnamese descent may also have been waiting to see how their cases turned out before deciding whether to file their own. “Now that I’ve gone forward and won, they’re interested in going forward also,” she said. According to the Office of Human Rights findings, Reardon has 30 days to pay the judgement or the amount will be tripled instead of doubled. This would bring the total amount to more than $11,600 for each Cayce. The couple can also seek “reasonable attorney’s fees” for the lawyer who represented them. Last night, Reardon was asked via text whether he intended to pay the Cayce judgements. He had been quite talkative in an earlier text exchange using the same telephone number. “This is not Michael” was the reply. Nothing else.
LOOSE CANNON covers hard news, technical issues and nautical history. Every so often he tries to be funny. Subscribe for free to support the work. If you’ve been reading for a while—and you like it—consider upgrading to paid. |
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