Yahoo Lifestyle Mary-Kate And Ashley Olsen Are Reportedly Being Sued By Former Interns
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are being sued by interns who claim they have been underpaid. Photo: Getty Images
*UPDATE*
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's company Dualstar has issued a statement in which they vehemently deny the claims.
As an initial matter, Dualstar is an organisation that is committed to treating all individuals fairly and in accordance with all applicable laws. The allegations in the complaint filed against Dualstar are groundless, and Dualstar will vigorously defend itself against plaintiff's claims in court, not before the media," said Dualstar spokesperson Annett Wolf. "Dualstar is confident that once the true facts of this case are revealed, the lawsuit will be dismissed in its entirety.
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen recently won the CFDA award for Womenswear Designer of the Year for their luxury fashion label, The Row, however it seems they're in hot water over some workplace disputes.
The twins' company, Dualstar Entertainment Group, which they founded when they were just six, has been served with a class action suit in which 40 current and former interns claim they have been underpaid.
According to court documents obtained by the New York Post, former intern Shahista Lalani, was working 50-hour weeks in 2012 during which time she was tasked with “running personal errands for paid employees.”
“I was doing the work of three interns. I was talking to her all day, all night. E-mails at nighttime for the next day, like 10 p.m. at night,” she says of her time working under the head technical designer for the label/
Lalani also claims she was hospitalised for dehydration during her stint at the company.
According to Page Six:
The suit says there are many other interns in Lalani’s position, and they should have been paid the minimum wage plus overtime because they were doing the same type of jobs as the paid colleagues without receiving academic or vocational credit.
A representative for the 29-year-old twins, who are believed to be worth $US300 million, told the NY Post, “Dualstar is not aware of this,” but declined to comment on the firm’s intern policy.
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