Update: Copperfield has reportedly settled for approximately $500,000 with his employees. Guess he made their wages re-appear.

Original Post:

On February 15th, 2014, seven stagehands filed a federal wage-abuse lawsuit against magician David Copperfield. The stagehands claim that the illusionist made them work as many as 14 hours a day, 7 days a week without providing overtime compensation.

Prior to this wage-abuse lawsuit, Copperfield's business entities filed a lawsuit in January accusing six stagehands of breaching contract, conspiracy, and disclosing trade secrets. Jakub Madrala, the attorney representing the stagehands, alleges that Copperfield began the contract complaint only to deter the stagehands from pursuing their wage complaint.

Both the stagehand's attorney and Copperfield's legal team are currently working together to make both of these claims disappear.

Do you think the stagehands are trying to divert attention away from the fact that they revealed trade secrets--or do you think Copperfield is trying to divert attention away from the fact that he has been exploiting his employees through a coercive system?

*image by Kevin Trotman, Flickr

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