There was a significant increase in the number of class-action
lawsuits in 2012 brought by former interns, many of whom were in
unpaid positions working in the business sector. But recently
the educational community received a wake-up call when Hamilton
College was hit with a class-action lawsuit involving its paid
interns.
The Facts
In the Hamilton College case, former employee Benjamin Kozik,
representing a class of over 40 former interns of the athletic
department, claimed that his role as an intern as
Intercollegiate/Assistant Football Coach did not qualify as exempt
internship (for which minimum wage and overtime requirements did
not apply); that he was not an exempt educational employee;
and that the stipend he received each month was not enough to
properly compensate him for all the regular and overtime hours he
worked.
