No way, Jose! More drama on the Olsen Twins front
First all of that Fuller House drama, and now a lawsuit? It’s been a rough year for the Olsen Twins, you guys.
Shahista Lalani is a former intern of Dualstar Entertainment Group, the twins’ licensing and manufacturing company. (Did anybody else JUST get that pun, or is it just me?) She’s suing the company in New York’s Supreme Court, claiming she worked 50 hours a week without pay.
Now, I know fashion internships are coveted, coveted gigs. So coveted that most fashionistas still jump at the chance to snag an unpaid one, despite knowing what they’re walking into—long hours, tedious tasks and little recognition. Which sounds like Lalani’s story.
Here are the details: Lalani says she worked for Dualstar from May to September in 2012. Her job details ranged from administrative, like creating spreadsheets and photocopying, to fashion-related, like sewing. She worked long hours and claims she was worked to the bone. What’s more is the suit is seeking class-action status, and more than 40 of Lalani’s fellow unpaid interns could join her.
Lalani’s defense is that as an intern, she was misclassified as “exempt” from minimum wage requirements. Mary-Kate and Ashley have been in business with Dualstar since they were six — yes, six — years old, manufacturing everything from books to clothing. They seem to have the whole “business professional” thing down to a science, so let’s hope this was just a big misunderstanding. When asked about the lawsuit, a spokesperson from Dualstar said they weren’t even aware of it.
I don’t know about you, but my eight-year-old self would have done just about anything to work for the Olsen Twins. We’re not sure what will happen with the lawsuit, but we’re curious to see how things shake down.
