Exotic Dancers Ruled Employees, Not Independent Contractors

Exotic dancers who worked at an Alabama strip club were misclassified as independent contractors in violation of federal labor law, a federal magistrate judge ruled.

The lawsuit alleges that Best In Town Inc., doing business as The Furnace, intentionally misclassified the dancers to avoid paying them minimum wage, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

“The vast weight of authority from lower courts” supports a finding that dancers are employees under the FLSA, US Magistrate Judge John H. England III of the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama said Wednesday, ruling on partial summary judgment, which ...