Seyfarth Synopsis: Fox Searchlight and Fox Entertainment Group have reached a preliminary settlement with a group of former unpaid interns, possibly resolving the lawsuit that resulted in a Second Circuit decision that redefined the test used to evaluate whether interns are properly classified under the FLSA.

As this blog has previously reported [ here, here], former unpaid interns who worked on Fox film productions sued the studio in 2010, alleging that they were misclassified and entitled to minimum wage and overtime compensation. In a 2013 decision, Judge William Pauley of the Southern District of New York granted summary judgment to two of the interns, holding that they should have been treated as employees, and held that a third intern could pursue his related claims as a class and collective action under the FLSA and New York Labor Law. Fox appealed to the Second Circuit, which in July 2015 held that that the "primary beneficiary" test, rather than the Department of Labor's stricter six-factor test, should be used to evaluate the classification of unpaid interns. The court sent the case back to Judge Pauley for resolution under its newly articulated standard.

Under the proposed agreement, any intern who served for at least two weeks from 2005-2010 will be entitled to a $495 payment. That amount is within the payout range that we've seen in other internship lawsuits. Three of the lead plaintiffs, Erik Glatt, Alexander Footman, and Eden Antalik, will receive service awards of $7,500, $6,000, and $3,500, respectively.

The settlement would resolve claims in two lawsuits before Judge Pauley: Glatt v. Fox Searchlight, which concerns New York interns, and Mackown v. Fox Entertainment Group, which concerns California interns. The total monetary value of the settlement, covering both lawsuits, is approximately $600,000, of which $260,000 is for attorneys' fees.

In papers supporting the proposed settlement, the plaintiffs noted that the Second Circuit's ruling presented "significant risk to [them] on the merits and with regard to certification." They also acknowledged their "extreme challenge" in obtaining class and collective action certification, especially given that the interns "were engaged in various divisions, performing different duties, and reporting to different supervisors," such that the Court "could conclude that [their differences] exceed their similarities." While still professing the strength of their case, the plaintiffs admitted that they faced litigation risks because the Second Circuit's standard was "largely untested."

The deal is not final: it still must be preliminarily approved by Judge Pauley, which will trigger the issuance of a notice informing class and collective members of their rights under the settlement. Putative class members will then have an opportunity to object to the settlement or opt out, and the deal must be finally approved by the Court after conducting a fairness hearing.

We'll keep you posted as the settlement approval process moves forward, as well as any developments regarding the motion for summary judgment filed by the Hearst Corporation in a similar lawsuit, currently pending before Judge J. Paul Oetken, also in the Southern District of New York.

On a related note, the Wall Street Journal recently reported on a study conducted by the National Associate of Colleges and Employers, which found that paid interns are more likely to receive a job offer after graduation—and earn more money—then their fellow students who had an unpaid internship. The article also discusses important issues regarding income inequality and diversity between paid and unpaid interns, and employers may be well-served by reviewing the cited data when contemplating whether to offer paid or unpaid internship programs.

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