Former Harper’s Bazaar Intern Sues Hearst

Interns are pretty much always taken advantage of, but one former Harper’s Bazaar worker has decided that it’s not okay. Xuedan Wang, who interned at the fashion magazine from December 2010 through December 2011, is suing Hearst for allegedly making her work full time hours without pay.

The New York Times reports that Wang and her lawyers are hoping to turn the lawsuit into a class action, on behalf of “hundreds” of unpaid — yet overworked — interns at Hearst Magazines:

‘Unpaid interns are becoming the modern-day equivalent of entry-level employees, except that employers are not paying them for the many hours they work,’ said Adam Klein, one of the lawyers for Ms. Wang. ‘The practice of classifying employees as ‘interns’ to avoid paying wages runs afoul of federal and state wage and hour laws.’

A Hearst spokesperson told the Times that it hasn’t been served with any paperwork, so it wouldn’t comment.

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