Former Warner Music Intern Files a Second Lawsuit

Justin Henry says he's owed minimum wage and overtime compensation from Chung King studio

A former Warner Music Group intern who's suing the music company has filed a second suit, this time against a New York City recording studio.

 In a class-action complaint filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Wednesday, Justin Henry says that he worked for Chung King studios from October 2008 until August 2010. During that time, Henry says, he wasn't paid minimum wage and didn't receive overtime compensation. The class-action suit claims that he wasn't the only one to endure such alleged treatment.

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The suit claims that Henry and other members of the class worked "in various positions related to the maintenance and operations of the music studio." Henry claims to have "typically worked from Thursday through Sunday, consistently from 10 p.m. until 10 a.m." From October 2008 to December 2009, the suit alleges, Henry was given no compensation at all, and that from January 2009 to August 2010, he was paid a flat rate of $200 per week, "regardless of the amount of hours worked."

The suit contends that Henry and others in his situation are owed minimum wage plus overtime under federal and U.S. law.

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Henry's suit against Warner Bros. Music Group, filed earlier this month, claims that WMG subsidiary Atlantic Music Group withheld wages from Henry and other employees beginning in or around June 2007. Henry's suit claims that he worked as an unpaid intern for the company, answering phones, making copies and performing other tasks, regularly working from 10 a.m. to 5 or 6 p.m.

A number of lawsuits from interns seeking compensation for their labor have been filed recently. Earlier this month, two interns who worked on the film "Black Swan" won a partial summary judgment from a judge who found that interns Alexander Footman and Eric Glatt are entitled to pay for their work on the film under the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York labor law.

Also read: Has Hollywood Ignited an Intern Uprising? Examining the Brewing Revolution

A lawsuit was also recently filed against publisher Conde Nast by two former interns for the company.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

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