A now-shuttered burrito shop is the subject of a wage theft lawsuit filed by the city of Fresno.

Meanwhile, the owner and manager of Biggie Burrito Taqueria are pointing fingers at each other.

The city filed the action Feb. 23 — one of two recent actions taken by City Attorney Andrew Janz to ensure businesses comply with labor laws.

The owner of Biggie Burrito blamed his manager for the problems. In turn, the manager made his own accusations.

Since 2024, the Fresno City Council has empowered Janz to pursue wage theft cases.

Janz, through his executive assistant, said his office does not “comment on ongoing litigation or pre-litigation strategy.”

Biggie Burrito Failed to Pay

Biggie Burrito Taqueria,  1600 E. Belmont Ave., south of downtown Fresno at Calaveras Avenue, is vacant. Owner Claude Leon Patterson shut it down in June 2024, according to the city’s lawsuit.

The city accuses Biggie Burrito, Patterson, and manager Joseph Daniel Briseno of not paying employees for hours worked, failing to pay minimum wage, and not providing required breaks, among other alleged labor law violations. At least 12 employees were affected.

Biggie Burrito also bounced checks, failed to pay on a regular schedule, failed to keep accurate records, and misclassified workers, the city alleges.

“Briseno ordered employees to sign agreements designating them as independent contractors rather than employees. However, defendants retained and/or exercised substantial control over the workers with restrictions on when, where and how the work may be performed,” Janz said in the lawsuit.

Briseno, speaking to GV Wire, denied the allegations.

The city filed the lawsuit in Fresno County Superior Court on Feb. 23, shortly after receiving complaints from former workers. The case is scheduled for a case management conference July 23 before Fresno County Superior Court Judge Maria G. Diaz.

Patterson, Briseno Blame Each Other

Patterson lives in Pacifica. He said he first met Briseno when he rented him a home in Fresno. His son knew him through high school wrestling.

“I saw this as an opportunity to help somebody who was a wrestler, who I thought was dependable, who I thought would work hard,” Patterson told GV Wire.

Patterson said he bankrolled the restaurant by borrowing on his credit card and selling property. His goal was to sell it to Briseno in the future. He called Briseno a partner.

“He was an independent contractor working for a profit of the business once the restaurant had a profit,” Patterson said.

That is one of several areas on which the defendants disagree.

“That’s a false lie by Mr. Patterson. I was an employee. I was a manager,” Briseno said.

Briseno said he filed wage complaints with the state labor commission and the city of Fresno. He claims he is owed six figures and rejected a $50,000 settlement with Patterson. Briseno said he plans to sue Patterson to recover his wages.

“He was not an employee. Nobody works a year with no wages,” Patterson countered.

Both blame the other for Biggie Burrito’s problems. Patterson said Briseno hired workers and operated the business.

“I’m absolutely not to blame,” Patterson said. “He’s a crook.”

Briseno operated the restaurant, saying he often worked 15-hour days. He confirmed several of the allegations made by the city.

“Everything was handwritten. We never had a time system,” Briseno said.

360 Bounced Checks

The company went through several payroll companies and then paid employees in cash, Briseno said.

“We had about 360 checks bounce. He knows about it,” Briseno said.

The finances never improved, Briseno said.

“He never caught up. I told him in text messages and emails, ‘Shut the place down. What are we doing here? If you don’t have the money to finance it, do not do it,’ ” Briseno said.

Patterson called Briseno a liar, a cheater and a thief.

“He stole the equipment. He took everything out of the restaurant,” Patterson said.

Patterson said he attempted to file a police report but has not yet done so.

Briseno disputes that account.

“When Patterson did not pay the rent, he told me to take the equipment out. I took it to storage,” Briseno said.

Briseno said Patterson did not pay the rent for the storage unit, and the unit and its contents were auctioned off.

A Home and Truck

Patterson and Briseno also engaged in personal transactions, including a home rental.

In February 2025, Patterson filed an eviction lawsuit against Briseno, claiming $8,000 in unpaid rent. He also claimed $30,000 in property damage.

The court sided with Patterson in part, granting him possession of the property. Briseno is appealing the decision.

Briseno said any damage was wear and tear.

Patterson also said he sold a truck to Briseno and never received payments. Briseno’s version is that he returned the truck after he could no longer afford it.

City Fails in Bid for Documents in Another Case

The City Attorney’s Office also has made wage theft allegations against The Janitorial Company. Two employees filed complaints with the city in 2025, saying they were not paid in full for their work.

The city issued a subpoena for records, with which the company complied in part. The city filed a petition to enforce the rest of the subpoena in Fresno County Superior Court on Feb. 5.

However, Judge Kristi Culver Kapetan denied the city’s request. She ruled Feb. 19 that a state law cited by the city only applies to state departments seeking records, not cities.

The petition said The Janitorial Company provided only payroll summaries and the employee handbook. The city was additionally seeking pay stubs, copies of checks, and tax information. As of January 2026, the company had not complied.

An address for the company listed in the lawsuit on West Pinedale Avenue is in a residential neighborhood. Employees had to drive themselves to job sites because there was no centralized location to report to, the lawsuit says.

Messages left for The Janitorial Company were not returned.

First Wage Theft Lawsuit Still in Court

Janz filed his first wage theft lawsuit against the operators of a Holiday Inn Express & Suites in northwest Fresno. A contractor hired by the owners violated labor laws, the lawsuit alleges.

The case against Pinnacle Hospitality and Development, owner Lakhwinder Singh Brar, and contractor Juan Moreno remains active. The case returns to court June 16 for a case management conference, also before Diaz.

John Kinsey, attorney for Pinnacle and Brar, called his clients “victims.” He said his clients paid the contractor, who did not finish the work. Pinnacle and Brar countersued Moreno, and that case is also still active.