The devil wears Donna Karan, accođ§¸rding to a new class-action lawsuit against the fashion designer by a former unpaid đĨintern.
Valentino Smith, 25, who worked at the Manhattan studios of the couturier in 200đą9, is suing on behalf of at least 100 other interns.
âHe characterized it as a âDevil Wears Pradaâ atmosphere,â said Smithâs attorney, Lloyd Ambinder.., referring to the hit flick about an assistant to a fashion editor whoâs forced to perđ¯form gopher tasks like retrieving her bossâ dry cleaning.
âHe got so much coffee for people he knđĻew what they wanted without having to ask,â said Ambinder.
Smith, 25, did menial office jobs like data entry, shipping inventory, organizing closets anđ¯d answering phones, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court suiđŗt.
âUsing a copy machines isnât what someone would call an internship,â said Smith who had expected to get on-the-job training toward his caređĻer.
âI feel like I was taken advantage of.â
Smith should have been paid the $7.25 houly minimum wage, he saysđ.
âDKI believes it has acted properly and legađlly,â said company rep Valerie Gelicame.