EXCLUSIVE: Strippers suing Columbia clubs, claim they weren’t paid
By Dawn Hinshaw, The State (Columbia, S.C.) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
The lawsuit, filed in
The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is 22-year-old
"Without the stripper, there is no strip club," Dittus said in an interview with The State this week. "I felt like we should be treated better."
The lawsuit was filed as a class action, meaning other women who worked at the now-closed Heartbreakers or Platinum Plus clubs in
Federal law prohibits management from taking tips from employees who are not being paid at least a minimal hourly wage, according to Dittus'
The clubs responded in paperwork filed last month that the dancers work for themselves as tenants or independent contractors and therefore are not entitled to hourly wages or overtime.
Further, the businesses maintain the women collected dance fees in excess of minimum wage.
Efforts to reach Platinum Plus attorney
Dittus said she filed the lawsuit after hurting her back on the job and looking online for information about workers' compensation. She said she discovered that strippers in other parts of
Dittus started working at Heartbreakers when she was 18 and moved to
Despite being underage, Dittus claimed she was allowed to get "pretty much wasted" every night to make it easier for her to perform.
"You have to deal with a whole lot of rude guys," she said. "It was easier to deal with them in a pleasant way when I was intoxicated."
She worked at the clubs for about 31/2 years, occasionally performing at the Platinum Plus in
Her income varied.
"There could be a night I worked 12 hours and would leave with
But Dittus figured she earned
Her lawyer said that, much like gambling, the prospect of earning a lot of money in a single night by stripping preys on economically vulnerable women.
"Young women are drawn in by this easy money, party atmosphere kind of thing, and they have no idea what they're getting into," Rothstein said. "There have been many nights when my clients couldn't even afford the house fee at the end of the night" and had to withdraw money from the club's ATM -- for a fee.
The lawsuit names
The club reopened in
Dittus, meanwhile, said she was let go in February after complaining about the club's system and is working now at a warehouse, earning
"There's nothing greater than knowing I'm going to work and I'm going to get paid and I'm going to be able to pay my bills," she said. "Before, it was up in the air.
"Promised money is better than, 'Oh, I might get lucky one day this week and make
Both S.C. lawyers have brought in out-of-state firms to assist them. The attorneys for the plaintiffs list the Lichten & Liss-Riordan law firm out of
There is no timetable for the case to be heard by U.S. District Judge
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