Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams prosecuted the first class action on behalf of cheerleaders working in the NFL. The lawsuit against The Oakland Raiders alleged that the club withheld all pay from the Raiderettes until after the end of the season, did not pay for all hours worked, and force the cheerleaders to pay many of their own business expenses. Under their take-it-or-leave-it contract, Raiders’ cheerleaders were only $1250 for working an entire season, which amounted to less than $3.00 per hour for the time that they spent rehearsing, performing and appearing at events where they were not paid. The lawsuit also challenged the Raiders’ illegal practice of imposing monetary fines on Raiderettes for such things as forgetting to bring the correct pom-poms to practice, wearing the wrong workout clothing to rehearsals, failing to bring a yoga mat to practice, or not turning in written biographies on time. The case was settled for $1.25 million with some dancers receiving as much as $20,000. The class action suit, brought by Lacy T. and Sarah G., two Raiderettes whose identities are protected in keeping with Raiders policy, set off a cascade of similar lawsuits around the NFL by football dance squads who claim that they are underpaid for their labor.
