Two exotic dancers who used to work at a Pensacola strip club are suing the club's owners for supposed unpaid wages, saying they were wrongly classified as independent contractors and not employees of the club.
Utahna Hughes and Jessica McClellan both worked at Escapes Gentleman's Club on North Davis Highway, according to court papers. Both women, the suit says, should have been paid hourly wages and tips according to federal law, but since they were technically not employees of the club and its owner, they were not.
The lawsuit, which was filed earlier this month in the Northern District of Florida, is seeking an unnamed amount of damages. Edmond Burie and GC&P Enterprises, the owners of the club, are named as the defendants.
The 14-page lawsuit spells out how the tips that the exotic dancers received were doled out.
“A portion of the dancer's tips would be paid to the disc jockey, the bouncers, the managers on duty, the defendants and/or the bartenders,†the lawsuit says.
As of now, Hughes and McClellan are the only plaintiffs named in the lawsuit. However, the suit says they are trying to recruit other exotic dancers who “were compensated in a similar matter.†All are entitled to damages, court papers say.
About 100 exotic dancers have worked at Escapes since Burie has owned the club, the suit says. Due to poor bookkeeping, however, the number of actual dancers is hard to ascertain, according to court papers.
“The plaintiffs are not in possession of all the records and schedules which may exist to reflect the total number of hours worked for defendants,†the suit says. “As a result, they cannot plead, with accuracy, the number of dancers that worked for defendants without being paid the proper minimum wage.â€
Jeremiah Talbott, the attorney for Hughes and McClellan, did not return a phone call last week.
A response has not been filed. Burie did not submit a comment Saturday.
Gee, one would think they'd be happy with the tons of money they make from the Navy guys there Lap dances aren't cheap in Pensacola.