Exotic Dancers Wage and Hour Lawsuit Reaches $8.5M Settlement

An $8.5 million settlement agreement has been reached in a recent dancers wage and hour lawsuit alleging the workers only received tips and no real wage, against federal law.

The exotic dancers wage and hour lawsuit was filed by a group of former employees of Spearmint Rhino nightclubs, alleging that they were not paid proper wages, weren’t given legally required breaks, and the tips that they did get were misappropriated, violating stage and federal labor laws.

The dancers wage and hour lawsuit includes thousands of current and former employees of the Spearmint Rhino nightclub chain, totaling around 8,000. Just over 50 Class Members opted out of the dancers wage and hour lawsuit. The settlement is expected to be at least $8.5 million, but may reach as much as $11 million under certain conditions.

This is not the first wage and hour lawsuit filed against Spearmint Rhino nightclubs. In fact, a similar case was filed in 2012, also by a group of former dancers for the nightclub chain, over wage violations. That dancers wage and hour lawsuit, too, was also ended in a settlement agreement. The settlement required that the clubs treat the dancers like owners or shareholders rather than like independent contractors.

Similarly, in the current exotic dancers wage and hour lawsuit, dancers asked that they not be considered employees. This distinction is important to them so that they are not under the kind of control that the clubs would have over them as employees.

Wage and Hour Regulations

There are a series of both federal and state wage and hour laws put in place to protect workers and ensure they are treated fairly. However, many workers across the country do not know about the protections that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) offers, which can lead to employers taking advantage of them. In some cases, employers may be requiring unpaid overtime work or even failing to pay minimum wage at all.

Some workers may find themselves unable to file wage and hour complaints like this unpaid overtime lawsuit because they are not aware of FLSA rules. Others may be afraid that their employers will retaliate or even fire them if they speak up about these kinds of FLSA violations. To protect workers who help to enforce FLSA rules, laws also exist to protect workers from discrimination based on wage and hour complaints.

Pursuing a Wage and Hour Lawsuit

If you have worked for a company that may have failed to follow the Fair Labor Standards Act or state labor laws, such as minimum wage, breaks, or overtime requirements, you may be able to either join a wage and hour class action lawsuit or file an unpaid overtime lawsuit of your own. An overtime pay settlement can help make up for unpaid wages or overtime work, whether you are a current or former worker.

Join a Free California Wage & Hour Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were forced to work off the clock or without overtime pay within the past 3 years in California, you have rights – and you don’t have to take on the company alone.

Get a Free Case Evaluation Now