Royal India/Dastoor finally facing felony charges from slow-acting Attorney General

After 2+ years in our fight against Royal India/Dastoor and the thieving Bhatti family, the Washington Attorney General finally took action to bring the largest wage thief in Washington State to punitive justice based on all the documentation already compiled by the Deprtment of Labor & Industries as well as further investigation by the Attorney General. 

Some highlights from the news article by My Edmonds News and Labor & Industries with some additional commentary:

  • The Bhattis stole nearly $45,000 from 2021 to 2023, and a total of $128,457 from 2019 to 2025.
    • Based on comments by passersby at both the Kirkland and Lynnwood protests, we know their theft has been going on for at least a decade and the Bhattis owe far more than this article stated.
  • The State actually got insight into their finances, confirming they hold enough money to pay but didn’t, meaning they definitely had a secondary bank account to write bouncing checks.
    • When people ask us now that we’ve destroyed their business, “How can they stay open with no customers?” it’s clear that they have lots of money stolen from their workers! 
  • The theft and abuse is not limited to Royal India, but also involves their wedding planning business Marigold Design House – where they steal from their workers AND customers (learn more at marigoldweddingscam.com) -as well as their nannies, caregivers, and even plumbers.

While on paper Dastoor has “new owners”, former owner Aeisha Bhatti still runs and oversees the business, and we hope this shuts them down for good. Putting the Bhattis behind bars might help provide some retribution, but justice demands that workers get what they’re owed. Unfortunately it will likely only be for workers who filed L&I claims, but it will mean a lot to those workers. 

Lastly, don’t forget that these are not outlying “bad actors”. Across the US, the amount of money lost to wage theft is greater than all robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts combined. The majority of these stolen wages are never recovered by workers. [Source here.] When ordinary people fall behind on bills, we are constantly harassed by collection agencies. People (particularly BIPOC) are arrested (or killed) for stealing very little, but when business owners steal from their workers, the government barely bothers to pursue them. 

And that’s also why SeaSol exists. We’re not willing to plead with the government, then sit around and wait for them to do nothing. We’re working-class people who have come together to hold bosses accountable and win justice in our community.