Interns Win One, Lose One, In Having Misclassification Cases Conditionally Certified In New York

There has been a great deal of coverage involving litigation by interns against various media and entertainment companies in New York.  We won't recount the many articles, blogs, and discussions about this issue.  If you need a quick summary of the law, the U.S. Department of Labor, in its Fact Sheet # 71, sets forth the relevant factors, which are:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;