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ARTICLE · 08 JUNE 2017

Avoid Singing The Blues: How Employers Can Mitigate Wage/Hour Liability

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In the last few years, there have been multiple headlines noting that celebrities are being sued for their (or their businesses') failure to pay wages in accordance with applicable state and/or federal law.

United StatesEmployment and HR
Angela Cummings
Angela Cummings
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In the last few years, there have been multiple headlines noting that celebrities are being sued for their (or their businesses') failure to pay wages in accordance with applicable state and/or federal law. Two such recent lawsuits involved famous singers.

First, Lady Gaga had a lawsuit brought against her by her former personal assistant, Jennifer O'Neill. The assistant sued Gaga for $400,000 under New York state law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, alleging that the singer failed to pay her for numerous hours of overtime (including being made to sleep in her bed with her!). O'Neill claims that, instead, the singer only compensated her at a flat rate of $75,000 annually, and that the failure to pay her overtime hours was unlawful. Lady Gaga and O'Neill settled out of court weeks before the trial was scheduled to begin.

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