Hearst Lawyers Emailing Former Unpaid Interns to Boost Defense

It looks like the lawyers for Hearst Corporation are seeking to boost its defense in the unpaid intern class-action lawsuit filed in February of this year by Diana Wang, a former unpaid head accessories intern at Harper's Bazaar magazine. Ms. Wang's lawsuit claims Hearst violated federal and state labor laws by misclassifying her as an intern rather than an employee when she worked normal hours (sometimes more) performing entry-level work with little supervision. The judge presiding over the case granted class action status in July with approximately 3,000 former interns now on board.

Last Friday, Hearst lawyers emailed former unpaid interns asking for stories of "the opportunities and experiences they received from their internships." It's pretty clear that the lawyers are hoping to use these stories to spin a positive light on the unpaid internship program. Nonetheless, Hearst has done already away with unpaid internship and will only accept interns who receive school credit.

Read more:
NYMag: Hearst’s Lawyers Now E-mailing Former Unpaid Interns   
NYMag: The Norma Rae of Fashion Interns