A number of exotic dancers who work at clubs on Bourbon Street and in Harvey are suing the owners of those clubs, demanding they be recognized as employees and paid wages.
Suit was filed in U.S. District Court on Wednesday by dancer Kelly Clifton, lead plaintiff in the case.
Clifton claims for the last four years she’s been employed at Stiletto’s Cabaret and has not once been paid a wage.
Meanwhile, Clifton says tip money she earned was compulsorily parceled out to other employees of the club, including disc jockeys, bouncers, a house mom, and the club manager.
The dancers are suing owners Guy Olano, Jr., Guy Olano III, and Joseph Ascani. Also named in the suit is Raymond Palazzolo, a club general manager.
According to the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate, the structure of the suit is similar to one used in California where Uber and Lyft drivers were reclassified from contractors to employees and entitled to earnings and wages.
Representing Clifton and her other plaintiffs is David Hodges, a Houston-based attorney.
"We're not really having to plow new ground," Hodges told the paper. "This area of the law is very well developed and in 99% of the cases the court found that dancers are not independent contractors of these clubs but are in fact employees."
The suit states that they were employees by fact of having to interview for the position, clock in and out of work, and pay fines for breaking club rules.