Restaurant operator Papa Gino’s Inc., which cut 1,100 jobs without warning then filed for bankruptcy protection, is seeking court permission to hide the addresses of employees in court papers, WSJ Pro Bankruptcy reported. The company cited privacy concerns as the reason it wants to avoid the bankruptcy disclosure rules when it comes to its former employees, who may have claims for back wages or other creditor rights. But federal bankruptcy watchdogs have challenged the break from rules. Employment rights lawyers could be trying to contact the former workers, Linda Casey, lawyer for U.S. Trustee Andrew Vara, said at a court hearing in Delaware earlier this month. Or employees might want to band together to gain an official voice in the bankruptcy case, she said. Without addresses, that could be tough for a workforce that operated in scattered shops across several states. The debate over whether the company is doing ex-workers a favor by guarding their privacy or simply tamping down the chances they can challenge its bankruptcy restructuring will be decided by Judge Mary Walrath at a hearing Nov. 28.
