Today is Nevada Day! Exactly 150 years ago Nevada was admitted as a state. The Nevada Supreme Court yesterday ruled on a case that may make this day more celebratory for workers at adult entertainment facilities (strip clubs).
Several performers at Sapphire Gentleman’s Club sued the club alleging they were employees and not independent contractors. The district court ruled that they were independent contractors. They appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court.
The Nevada Supreme Court reversed the district court decision. The Court noted that the performers sign a contract, and the Court ruled that even though the contract states they won’t be employees, the actual relationship “is an express contract of hire.”
The Court then ruled that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) economic realities test should be used to determine who the employer of the performers is. The Court noted that while it might appear that the performers weren’t under the control of the club (they could choose their own schedule, whether to dance or not, etc.), appearances were deceiving.
But by forcing them to make such “choices,” Sapphire is actually able to “heavily monitor [the performers], including dictating their appearance, interactions with customers, work schedules and minute to minute movements when working,” while ostensibly ceding control to them. This reality undermines Sapphire’s characterization of the “choices” it offers performers and the freedom it suggests that these choices allow them; the performers are, for all practical purposes, “not on a pedestal, but in a cage.” [citations omitted]
The Court noted that other economic realities test factors made the performers appear to be employees rather than independent contractors. The Court unanimously reversed the district court decision, and remanded it back to the district court for a trial on damages.
The attorneys representing the performers note that they could be looking at $40 million of back wages. However, Nevada’s minimum wage law allows employees who receive tips (and clearly the performers at these facilities receive tips) to be paid well under the minimum wage, so damages could be far smaller.
Tags: StripClubs