Shanklin v. Wilhelmina Models, Inc.

If you entered into a model management contract with Wilhelmina and/or Next and were classified as an independent contractor rather than an employee and attended a casting, go see, meeting, check-in, or test shoot, or performed any other work or service booked by Next or Wilhelmina’s New York Office on or after October 24, 2007; and (i) had deductions taken from your payments by Next or Wilhelmina on or after October 24, 2007, and/or (ii) received or should have received a paycheck or wage statement from Next or Wilhelmina on or after October 24, 2007, a class action lawsuit may affect your rights.

The Plaintiffs sued Defendants Wilhelmina Models, Inc., Wilhelmina International Ltd. (together “Wilhelmina”), and Next Management, LLC (“Next”) on behalf of themselves and other current and former models who had management agreements with the Defendant Modeling Agencies. The lawsuit claims that such models are misclassified as independent contractors and that, accordingly, Wilhelmina and Next are in violation of certain provisions of New York Labor Law. The time period covered by the lawsuit is from October 24, 2007, to the present. This class action seeks to recover money damages for all Class Members, to the extent that such damages are available and awarded by the Court. The Defendants deny the allegations and have asserted a number of defenses to Plaintiffs’ claims, including that the New York Labor Law does not apply to Plaintiffs because models are properly classified as independent contractors.