Strippers are people too and they have the right to sue their employer just like anyone else according to a Fed judge.The New York Post reporta that more than 50 strippers suing Rick's Cabaret can try to dig into the deep pockets of the jiggle joint's publicly-traded corporate owner.
Manhattan federal Judge John Koeltl said the gals "have met their burden" in alleging that Rick's Cabaret International "was their employer under the 'economic reality' test."
In a decision made public today, Koeltl noted that the $5 million-plus suit charges that Rick's Cabaret International "directly employs regional managers, who are responsible for overseeing the operations of the subsidiary clubs," including
the one on West 33rd Street.
The suit also alleges that both the regional managers and the various clubs' general managers report to Eric Langan, who is CEO of the corporation and president of each of its 20 skin palaces, the judge ruled.
Koeltl further rejected "concerns" raised by Rick's about the "credibility" of lead plaintiffs Sabrina Hart and Reka Furedi, who were accused of lacking "sufficient moral character" to spearhead the suit.
"No plaintiff evinces a credibility problem sufficient to require her exclusion as a class representative," the judge wrote.
The case centers on Rick's sale of "dance dollars" to patrons who want to buy lap dances.
Each funny-money bill costs $24, but the strippers only get $18 when they redeem them at the end of their shifts, the suit says.
"We look forward to a full resolution of this issue on the merits, at which time we are confident the Court will agree with our position, and the position of the vast majority of the entertainers who perform at Rick's NY, that they are independent contractors and not employees," said Jeffrey Kimmel, a lawyer for Rick's.
