Raiders’ Cheerleader Objects to Settlement

OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) - An Oakland Raiders cheerleader appealed a class action wage settlement, claiming the deal was unfair.

Jenny C. objected to the settlement of Lacy T. and Sarah G. et al. vs. the Oakland Raiders.

Represented by Drexel Bradshaw of San Francisco, the Nov. 17 filing objects to the class action settlement reach by attorney Sharon Vinick, with Levy, Vinick, Burrell and Hyams.

Vinick told Courthouse News in a telephone interview that she is "very confident" that the settlement provided "good resolution" for the Raiderettes' complaints.

"We feel the settlement is very fair and adequate and compensates the Raiderette minimum wage along with fees and penalties," Vinick said. "It is a very good settlement for the class."

The settlement in early September covered 90 women who worked as cheerleaders from 2010 to 2013 during NFL seasons. Each cheerleader was to receive more than $6,000 for each year worked from 2010 to 2012 and $2,500 for 2013, when the Raiders started paying minimum wage and overtime.

But in her objection, Jenny C. claims the settlement "drastically fails to compensate class members according to what they are due," and excludes the National Football League from paying damages, as it is not mentioned by name in the settlement.

The proposed settlement leaves "millions and millions of dollars on the table", according to the objection, and underpays the class plaintiffs by of $1.4 million to $2.7 million.

Jenny C. claims that the Raiderettes should have been paid $13.15 to $20 an hour, not the $8 the settlement "sheepishly" accepted.

She also objects to the $400,000 in legal fees that Vinick was to receive.

"A lot more could have been achieved in this case and the short amount of time invested by Vinick and the large take of the settlement is an issue," Bradshaw told Courthouse News in an interview.

Bradshaw also is counsel in a lawsuit that names the NFL and the Oakland Raiders as defendants. That case Caitlin Y. and Jenny C. vs. the National Football League, the Oakland Raiders, is pending in Alameda County Court.

The cheerleaders said in their initial class action suit that the Raiders placed excessive demands on them and did not pay them fully until the season was over. The Raiders demanded that they attend preseason, regular season and postseason home football games, all practices, rehearsals, fittings, preparations, drills, photo sessions, meetings and workouts. The team fined cheerleaders for wearing the wrong workout clothes to rehearsals, for failing to bring a yoga mat to practice, and for losing pom-poms or not turning in biographies on time, according to lead plaintiff Lacy T. who said she spent $650 a year in unreimbursed expenses.

"This will likely be a case that will be going on for a long time and we felt the previous Raiderette representation did a poor job and did not work for what they could have achieved," Bradshaw said in the interview.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article has been corrected to remove several errors.

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