UNPAID INTERN LAWSUIT

A class action was recently filed against Fox Searchlight Pictures on behalf of unpaid interns who worked on the popular movie Black Swan. The lawsuit alleges that interns worked well over 40 hours per week, while receiving no compensation. Under the law, generally an unpaid internship is legal if the person is receiving academic credit and the company receives no financial benefit in return. However, if no academic credit is received, the intern would be entitled to minimum wage and overtime for over 40 hours worked pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and New York Labor Law (NYLL). Unfortunately, many companies, including movie studios take advantage of interns, by failing to pay any wages.