Vallentino Smith , a former intern, is seeking a class action lawsuit against Donna Karan International over his unpaid internship in 2009. Smith, a 25 year-old man from Queens, claims he worked 16 hours a week without pay when he was an undergraduate student working for Donna Karan at its Manhattan headquarters. According to the complaint, Smith alleges that he was told the internship would be a great learning experience, but instead all he did was get coffee and organize fashion closets. He seeks retroactive pay for the hours he worked and would like his case to be classified as class-action so he can represent at least 100 other unpaid Donna Karan interns. Full article.
To determine whether an internship or training program meets this exclusion depends upon all of the facts and circumstances of each such program. The following six criteria must be applied when making this determination:
If all of the factors listed above are met, an employment relationship does not exist under the FLSA, and the Act’s minimum wage and overtime provisions do not apply to the intern. If these factors are not met, the employer is required to pay the intern minimum wage and overtime. Full article.
Leeds Brown Law PC dedicates a large portion of its practice to the area of employment discrimination. If you worked as an unpaid intern and you believe your rights have been violated, it is important to contact an experienced attorney immediately to preserve your rights. The firm has represented individuals throughout Long Island and the New York City area in matters of wage and hour law. For more information, contact Leeds Brown Law at 1-800-585-4658 for a free consultation or visit leedsbrownlaw.com.
Please fill out the form below to receive a free consultation, we will respond to
your inquiry within 24-hours guaranteed.