Not a good look: Tommy Hilfiger and Fendi Sued by Former Employees for identifying the entry-level workers as interns to avoid paying out at least minimum wage. The class action suit follows a string of similar cases, most recently bringing the fashion and media power house Conde Nast to a $5.8 million payout.
Tommy Hilfiger and Fendi Sued by Former Employees for reportedly not paying them, a situation that is all too common in the fashion industry but truth be told, across a lot of industries. Sources say workers were incorrectly “mis-labeled” so they could continue to work unpaid.
“Tommy Hilfiger and Fendi join a long list of fashion houses facing similar intern lawsuits. The Fashion Law names Lacoste, Zac Posen, Burberry, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Coach, and Donna Karan as companies who are involved in unpaid internship lawsuits, all filed by two firms: Virginia & Ambinder LLP and Leeds Brown Law PC.”
While many of the plaintiffs have good reason to engage in Tommy Hilfiger and Fendi Sued by Former Employees, The Fashion Law and growing number call *trolling* and feel the majority of filers have been pressured into suing, making some sense as the fashion world is a billion dollar industry anyone would like a piece of:
“The frequency with which cases have been filed by these firms and some interesting procedural history, suggests that these firms may be trolling for potential plaintiffs to help them rake in large settlements from the design houses at issue,” Julie Zerbo of The Fashion Law writes.
While that rings true, Tommy Hilfiger and Fendi Sued by Former Employees is definitely not an isolated incident. Complex UK reports “cases like these are becoming even more commonplace, as 3,000 former Warner Music Group interns filed a lawsuit against the company for violating similar Fair Labor practices.” New York state in recent years amended laws of hiring and claiming interns vs. employees, to which many companies experienced a shakedown. Of course in a lot of industries though–the number one rule is ethics and the number two is about breaking/bending rules–‘don’t get caught.’ The practice is still however widespread.
Check the gallery for some finer* moments and Hip Hop/Pop culture flashbacks for the legendary Fendi and Tommy Hilfiger brands.
