Miles Walker, an auto repair shop owner who dumped tens of thousands of pennies on the driveway of his former employee along with a vulgar note, is now facing a lawsuit, Fox 5 reports. The U.S. Department of Labor, which filed the complaint against the Georgia business owner, said Andreas Flaten first contacted them in Jan. 2021, alleging that he didn't get his final paycheck after resigning from A OK Walker Autoworks in Peachtree City, Georgia, in Nov. 2020.

When the DOL Wage and Hour Division contacted Walker about the accusation, he allegedly refused to pay the $915 he owed. The employer then allegedly dumped more than 91,000 oil-covered pennies on Flaten's driveway, according to the complaint.

“Within hours of learning that Mr. Flaten had complained to [the Wage and Hour Division] about not receiving his last paycheck, defendants decided to pay Mr. Flaten in pennies,” the lawsuit states, according to MLive.

Walker is also accused of leaving a note which said, "f**k you," Fox 5 reports.

The former employee said he was leaving his home to go to the store when he noticed the pile of oil-covered pennies, along with the vulgar note. Flaten kept the pennies in a wheelbarrow in his garage. He said he sat down in his garage for many nights and tried to clean the pennies with dish soap, vinegar and water, hoping to be able to use the money.

"I think that’s going to be a lot of work for money I’ve already worked for," he said in March, according to Fox 5. "It’s going to be hours upon hours of just trying to clean this money up just so it’s even able to be spent. It’s definitely not fair at all."

Flaten, who has fruit trees in his backyard and a freshwater creek about 100 feet away from his home, was also concerned about how the oil would impact the environment. The Georgia man described Walker's action as "childish."

"If I’ve done my math correctly, 91,515 pennies should come out to be about — at two and a half grams each — about 504 pounds," he told the news station.

The DOL complaint adds that Walker allegedly slandered his former employee on the auto shop's website. Steven Salazar, district director with the US DOL Wage and Hour Division, said Walker also owes about $37,000 in back wages and liquidated damages. The department adds that the business owner has failed to keep track of employee hours.

Speaking with Fox 5 in March, Walker said he paid Flaten in U.S. currency and he doesn't want anything to do with this story. The auto shop owner wrote stated on his website that he has received death threats, aggressive phone calls and disturbing emails due to the situation.

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