A federal judge ruled Thursday that an exotic dancer at a nightclub on The Block, Baltimore's strip-club district, worked as an employee, not an independent contractor, and should be paid back wages.
Unique S. Butler of Owings Mills, who worked for tips at Norma Jean's from 2007 until August 2012 when she said she was fired, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in February against the club and its owner, PP&G Inc., accusing the club of refusing to pay wages.
Butler, who used the stage name Dior, said she worked seven-hour shifts up to seven nights a week and had to pay a $45 fee to the club each day out of tips and an additional $20 if she was late, the complaint said.