Celebrity Slavery: Ex-assistant sues Lady Gaga for 7,000+ overtime hours
If there’s one thing more precious than money, it’s your time. And a former personal assistant for Lady Gaga has put a price on hers. Jennifer O’Neill filed an overtime claim this month against Gaga for 7,168 overtime hours she worked in the singer’s home, and while touring and traveling with her around the world.
Flying around in private jets at the beck and call of a famous celeb may sound glamorous, but the former assistant alleges in her lawsuit that she had little to no time for meals, breaks or even sleep.
Do you put a price on your time? Time and a half, that is. O’Neill is suing Gaga’s touring company, Mermaid Touring Inc., in federal court for $380,000 in back overtime pay. The overtime complaint states that she was paid $1,000 per week for her time in 2009 and then an annual salary of $75,000 afterward. But the former assistant claims she was basically on call for Gaga day and night – required to be on hand at the star’s “earliest waking hour” or for “random matters in the middle of the night.” How does on-call time get calculated? If you are an on-call employee the amount of restrictions you have to be away from your job and spend your time is used to determine if you should be compensated for on-call hours. For example, if you are required to remain on an employer’s premises or within such a close distance that you cannot use your time effectively you may be eligible to receive overtime pay under the wage and hour laws.
Other celebs sued for overtime As we’ve written before, it doesn’t matter who your employer is – whether a celebrity or a famous corporation – they many employers pay workers incorrectly under the wage and hour laws. Celebrity chefs, well-known insurance companies, multi-million dollar corporations – they have all been brought to court for failure to compensate employees according to the Fair Labor Standards Act.
What is your exemption status? Find out today for free. Your job duties and not your job title, determine whether you are owed overtime. If you are unsure about your exemption status you can contact our office for a confidential case review at 888-449-2068. We will review your pay stubs and job duties for free to determine if you’ve been paid fairly under the law. Our firm represents workers in wage and hour cases nationwide, including in Texas, California, New York and Florida. Download our free, exclusive Top Wage Lawsuits Report: From Wal-Mart to celebrity chefs and rock stars – read about wage and hour cases that affect workers in every industry. Receive this exclusive report in your e-mail today.
The Texas overtime lawyers at Kennedy Hodges represent workers nationwide and across Texas in: Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Pasadena, Laredo, Sugar Land, Lubbock, Illinios, New York, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Jose, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Columbus, Charlotte, Detroit, and more.
If there’s one thing more precious than money, it’s your time. And a former personal assistant for Lady Gaga has put a price on hers. Jennifer O’Neill filed an overtime claim this month against Gaga for 7,168 overtime hours she worked in the singer’s home, and while touring and traveling with her around the world.