Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are being sued by former interns in a lawsuit that makes them sound like the real-life The Devil Wears Prada.
That or maybe these interns read the book (or saw the movie!) a few too many times and took it all to heart.
The famous twins’ billion-dollar entertainment and fashion empire, Dualstar Entertainment Group, is at the center of a class action suit being brought against them by more than 40 past and present interns for overworking them, refusing to pay for overtime and not offering them college credit for their troubles.
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Former intern Shasta Lalani is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit. Lalani worked for the twins’ clothing line, The Row, under the brand’s head technical designer. According to her, she was “treated poorly, worked for free and had to be hospitalized for dehydration due to demanding conditions.”
The lead plaintiff told Page Six, “I was doing the work of three interns. I was talking to her [boss] all day, all night. E-mails at nighttime for the next day, like 10 p.m. at night.”
She went further to say that other interns felt the pinch, too. She said, “You’re like an employee, except you’re not getting paid. They’re kind of mean to you. Other interns have cried. I’d see a lot of kids crying doing coffee runs, photocopying stuff.”
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The former Full House stars’ company isn’t taking this lying down.
They told People, “As an initial matter, Dualstar is an organization 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. Dualstar is confident that once the true facts of this case are revealed, the lawsuit will be dismissed in its entirety.”
Do you think it sounds like the interns are being too sensitive? Or are their complaints warranted?
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