Another day as summer wanes on, another intern lawsuit. Two interns who worked at W Magazine and The New Yorker are suing the publications' parent company, Condé Nast, requesting they be paid back wages, interest and attorneys' fees for the work they performed.


Lauren Ballinger interned at W Magazine in accessories in 2009, doing what interns in accessories do, while Matthew Lieb was an intern at The New Yorker in 2009 and 2010, where he reviewed submissions and proofread pieces. Of her time at the magazine, Ballinger reports that one of her managers described her job as worse than Anne Hathaway's in The Devil Wears Prada "because we don’t get any makeover in the end,” Ballinger told the New York Times.

In a statement, their lawyers said, "Our complaint explains that instead of following the law, Condé Nast relies on a steady stream of interns to perform entry-level work that contributes to its magazines' operations and reduces its labor costs." Additionally:

"This case is about the fundamental principle that if you work, you must be paid. Our clients seek to end the wage theft endemic in the media industry."


The pair are being represented by the same law firm that has represented all three other high profile intern lawsuits: the Black Swan interns, Diana Wang's Hearst lawsuit and the Charlie Rose lawsuit.

Image via Twentieth Century Fox