Olsen Twins Settle Intern Wage Theft Lawsuit

Summary: The Olsen Twins settled a 2015 wage theft lawsuit for $140,000.

You want interns to work for free, Olsen Twins? How rude!

Mega-rich actors-turned-moguls Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen hired almost 200 interns over the years to work at their fashion brand Dualstar, and those hardworking fashionistas were paid zilch for their time. In 2015, one intern filed a class action against the twins and their brand; and this week, the defendants settled the case.

The Olsen Twins will pay $140,000 to 185 unpaid interns, and each intern will receive $530 and the plaintiffs’ lawyers get the rest. When the lawsuit was originally filed, the Olsen’s called the charges “groundless.”

The case was filed in 2015 by Shahista Lalani, a former intern who claimed that she worked 50 hour weeks doing assistant tasks such as organizing materials, cleaning, photocopying, sewing, and personal errands. She and her fellow plaintiffs said that the work they were tasked to do was that of employees and that they had never received payment.

This lawsuit against the Olsen twins is similar to other unpaid intern lawsuits filed against companies such as Fox and CBS, whose former interns claim that they should’ve at least been paid minimum wage for their work. Federal law stipulates that unpaid internships are only permissible if students receive credit and the internship has educational value. The internship is not supposed to provide any type of value to the employer, i.e. internships are not supposed to be free labor supplements.

The allegations against the Olsen Twins was especially damning because of their high status and wealth. The 31-year-old siblings made a name for themselves by playing Michelle Tanner on Full House, and afterward, they used their fame to make money off of movies, clothing, accessories, and other licensing deals. According to The New York Daily Post, the girls are estimated to be worth $300 million.