Former Conde Nast Interns Settle for $5.8M

Conde Nast agreed on Nov. 13 to pay $5.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by thousands of former interns at the publisher who said they were underpaid for work at the company’s high-end magazines.

The settlement agreement, filed in U.S. District Court in New York, covers around 7,500 interns at Conde Nast magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair. The case is one in a wave of recent suits brought against media and entertainment companies that pay little or nothing for internships.

Conde Nast canceled its internship program soon after the lawsuit was filed in June 2013.

Lauren Ballinger, who worked for approximately $1 per hour organizing accessories in the fashion closet at W Magazine, and Matthew Leib, who earned around $300 for a summer internship at the New Yorker, were the two lead plaintiffs in the case. “We do think this is a favorable settlement,” one of the interns’ attorneys, Rachel Bien, said.

Former interns dating back as far as June 2007 are expected to receive payments ranging from $700 to $1,900, according to the settlement.

Conde Nast CEO Chuck Townsend, in an internal email to staff about the settlement, said he still believed the company’s magazine internships “were among the best in the media business.”

NBCUniversal, Warner Music Group and Hearst publishers have all been sued over similar claims.