In the United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana, plaintiffs Holly Matlock and Detyscha Pickney have filed a lawsuit against RCI Dining Services (Sulphur), Inc., Cordero Pennington, and Travis R. Reese. The case ID is 2:24-cv-00456-JDC-TPL and it was filed on April 4, 2024. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants evaded mandatory minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and illegally absconded with their tips.
Matlock was employed by the defendants from approximately 2018 through December 18, 2023, while Pickney was employed from October 2022 through May 2023. During their employment, they were denied minimum wage payments as part of a scheme to classify them as independent contractors rather than employees.
The plaintiffs worked at Scarlett's, a strip club owned and operated by the defendants in Sulphur, Louisiana. They claim that the defendants failed to pay them minimum wages for all hours worked in violation of FLSA regulations. Furthermore, they allege that forced tipping to other employees violated FLSA's minimum wage provision.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages for failure to pay minimum wage and violations of FLSA regulations including all tips, fees or fines taken from them. They also seek liquidated damages, interest, and attorneys' fees and costs provided by the FLSA.