3 Exotic Dancers File A Wage And Hour Claim Against Jaguars Gold Club In Dallas

Kennedy Law Firm, L.L.P. recently filed an injunction in this wage and hour case against an employer who allegedly forced workers to sign a contract under hostile and deceptive circumstances. The employer’s alleged actions resulted after workers filed a lawsuit against the company for misclassifying employees as independent contractors.

Three strip club dancers have hired the employment lawyers at Kennedy Law Firm LLP to represent them in a wage and hour claim against their employer seeking minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act. When the employer learned of the suit, he allegedly tried to have workers sign a contract to waive their rights to join the suit when the workers were intoxicated. Workers claimed they were terminated or threatened with termination for not signing the document. The employer’s actions are considered employer retaliation.

The Dallas Observer has followed the lawsuit we filed on this case. Their latest story includes comments from Galvin Kennedy, the principal attorney handling this case. Click here to read the Dallas Observer’s articles on the subject, Strippers Have Rights. But Do They Want Them? and In Dallas Federal Court, Three Strip-Club Dancers Demand Minimum Wage, Overtime.

Overtime and Tip Law Violations

The strip clubs allegedly violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay the dancers any minimum wage or overtime pay. Instead, the dancers were required to share tips with the club, the DJ, and other employees who do not receive tips. The dancers worked at Jaguars Gold Club locations in Texas and Arizona, including Abilene, Dallas, Fort Worth, Odessa, and Lubbock.

Dancer Lawsuit Seeks Class-Action Status

Current and former dancers for Jaguars Gold Club could be eligible to join the suit and recover money. Other dancers may have been victim of the same pay practices, including:

• Tip violations: dancers claim they were forced to tip out the house and share tips with DJs, managers and other employees who do not customarily receive tips.
• Misclassification as “Independent contractor” or 1099 employee: Dancers work over 40 hours a week, but claim they are not paid minimum wage or overtime as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act.

If a violation is proven a dancer would also be able to recover liquidated damages or double damages under the law. If you are a current or former dancer and believe that you are a victim of similar unfair pay practices, sign our consent form here to join an wage and hour lawsuit.