PROVIDENCE (AP) — Dancers from a former Providence gentleman’s club have agreed to settle allegations that the club failed to pay them fair wages and forced them to turn over tips.
More than 20 exotic dancers from the former Wild Zebra Gentlemen’s Club filed a suit claiming that the establishment violated federal labor laws by classifying them as independent contractors, thus depriving them of minimum wage and overtime benefits, the Providence Journal reported.
The dancers agreed to settle for $415,000, and the dancers who were employed from 2016 to 2019 will each receive between $5,000 and $27,000.
If the settlement is approved next week, lawyers will receive $186,000, plus $11,900 in costs.
The club’s corporate owner, Biscayne Entertainment, agreed in November for a year in exchange for the club’s license to be restored amid prostitution allegations.
The owners reached an agreement with the city, the Providence Board of Licenses and the Department of Public Safety in which a federal lawsuit challenging the revocation of the license would be dropped in exchange for being monitored by former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Frank Williams for a year, or until the club or its licenses are sold.
The establishment has since been reopened under new ownership as Silhouettes.
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