Bobby G's, the longstanding Berkeley pizzeria, is facing a $180,000 lawsuit over alleged wage theft — and the details aren't exactly flattering for the beloved pie shop.

According to an Alameda County Superior Court filing, former marketing and event coordinator Jennifer Baquing claims she was abruptly terminated in December, just two months after signing a contract that was supposed to keep her employed through October 2026. She's alleging unpaid wages and seeking $180K in damages from owners Gurpreet Kaur and Gurmukh Bansel Singh.

Now, let's be clear: a lawsuit is an allegation, not a verdict. Bobby G's deserves its day in court. But the broader issue here is worth talking about, because wage theft is one of those things that doesn't get nearly the political attention it deserves — especially from people who claim to care about property rights.

As one Bay Area resident put it bluntly: "Wage theft outpaces all other theft in the US." And they're right. Study after study confirms that employers stealing from workers — through unpaid wages, broken contracts, withheld overtime — dwarfs shoplifting, burglary, and robbery combined in total dollar value. If you're serious about property rights, you should be serious about all property rights, including the right of workers to receive what they're contractually owed.

There's a reasonable skeptic's take here too. Another local noted that this appears to be a contract dispute — someone got fired from a contracting gig and is now suing. That's fair. Not every lawsuit is a slam dunk, and $180K is a specific enough number to suggest this will come down to what the contract actually says.

But here's our broader point: We spend enormous energy in the Bay Area debating retail theft, car break-ins, and street crime (and rightly so). We should bring that same energy to wage theft, which costs American workers billions every year. A contract is a contract. If you sign one, honor it. If you break one, expect consequences.

Bobby G's makes good pizza. Let's hope they also make good on their obligations.