Nine exotic dancers have joined a lawsuit against a West Des Moines club where they allegedly worked without salary and had to pay the owner for the right to work for tips.
In 2022, former dancer Cierra Turner sued Pretty Women Inc., which owns the gentleman’s club Beach Girls, located at 6220 Raccoon River Drive in West Des Moines. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, alleges violations of state and federal minimum-wage laws, unjust enrichment, and unlawful tip sharing.
Turner’s attorneys are seeking class-action status for the lawsuit, enabling them to combine the claims of multiple dancers into a single proceeding.
That process requires the plaintiff’s attorney, in conjunction with the court, to give Beach Girls’ dancers notice of the lawsuit against the club and their right to join the litigation. After receiving the notice, the dancers can decide whether they want to sign on to the lawsuit as co-plaintiffs.
In the Beach Girls case, the club’s attorney asked that language be added to the notices warning the dancers that they “may owe back taxes” if they were to be awarded any unpaid wages. The defense also urged the court to include language in the notice advising dancers who joined the lawsuit that their tax returns might be subject to disclosure through the discovery process — and that if any tax liabilities were discovered, the club wouldn’t provide them with representation.
Turner’s attorney resisted those demands, arguing...
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