Myrtle Beach Injury Lawyer Nathan Hughey – Myrtle Beach Accident Attorneys Hughey Law Firm.  We have handled numerous cases in Myrtle Beach including Myrtle Beach automobile accident settlements, Myrtle Beach drunk driving lawyer claims, Myrtle Beach slip and fall lawsuits, Myrtle Beach dram shop claims, and similar matters.

We have had cases in Myrtle Beach involving bouncers allegedly fracturing an African American man’s skull with a metal “mag lite” for speaking to a Caucasian female outside of a club, allegedly kicking all of our client’s teeth in so that he had to wear an external device drilled into his jaw to put it back together because he didn’t want to leave the club after someone started an argument with him, and cases involving the stabbing death of one young man, and injuries to his friends, after a nightclub elected to allow 18 year olds to mix with those over 21 and served alcohol in an event known as “Monday Mayhem” with no security.  That occurred at the same location as this claim:

ATLANTIC BEACH A former dancer for Thee New Dollhouse strip club here has filed a class-action lawsuit against the business, alleging the club’s owner violates state and federal laws by failing to pay minimum wage and overtime and by forcing dancers to share tips they earn for lap dances and other entertainment services.

Alexis DeGidio filed the lawsuit in federal court on behalf of dancers facing similar circumstances nationwide. DeGidio performed at the club, formerly known as the Crazy Horse Saloon and Restaurant, between 2004 and 2011 and now is a member of the club’s wait staff, according to the lawsuit.

Michael J. Peter and Associates, the Florida-based operator of Thee New Dollhouse, has not filed a response to the lawsuit and Peter could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

DeGidio claims the strip club’s owner improperly classifies dancers as independent contractors, even though “the U.S. Department of Labor and courts across the country have recognized that dancers are employees, not independent contractors, and, accordingly, are entitled to protection under various state and federal wage and hour laws.”

The lawsuit claims that Thee New Dollhouse dancers are required to pay a fee of up to $100 per shift in order to perform at the club, where they earn money through tips rather than wages. The dancers also are required to share a minimum of $25 per shift from their tips to co-workers including the club’s disc jockey, house mom, valet attendant and floor host. Dancers also must pay the club $10 from the proceeds of every lap dance they perform in a couch room and $50 from each 30-minute private dance, according to the lawsuit.

“As a result of the mandatory house fees and required tip-outs, dancers sometimes receive little to no actual compensation despite hours of work,” the lawsuit states.

Additionally, dancers are required to buy and launder their own G-strings and costumes, DeGidio claims.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the S.C. Payment of Wages Act. DeGidio is seeking triple damages in excess of $5 million for class members, court documents state. The damages include unpaid minimum wage and overtime for at least 100 dancers nationwide.

This is at least the second lawsuit filed against an area strip club over wages and the independent contractor designation. The owners of Tiffany’s Cabaret in Horry County were sued last year by a former dancer who claimed she was forced to work without pay and share her tips with the owners and other employees. Club owners David Scrivani and Dominic Scrivani, who also own nightclubs in New York, settled the lawsuit this year by agreeing to pay a combined $37,500 to two of their clubs’ dancers.

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