New York Talent Agency JHA Management Hit with Lawsuit Over Alleged Labor Law Violations

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JHA Management, also known as Josselyne Herman & Associates, faces a proposed class and collective action in which former workers say they and other interns and assistants were not properly paid for every hour worked.

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The 17-page lawsuit alleges Josselyne, Inc.—the company behind the New York City talent agency—misclassified the plaintiffs as unpaid interns, and later as “extremely underpaid” assistants. Per the suit, the misclassification allowed the defendant to deny the workers the proper hourly minimum wage and overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 per workweek, among other benefits, in violation of state and federal law.

“By misclassifying [the plaintiffs], JHA denied them the benefits that the law affords employees, including unemployment, workers’ compensation insurance, Social Security contributions, and the right to lawful payment under the [Fair Labor Standards Act] and the [New York Labor Law],” the case contends.

One plaintiff, an actress residing in New Jersey, says she initially contacted the company for talent representation but was told that “only if she accepted an unpaid internship opportunity with JHA would [the defendant] take her on as a client for 6 months at a time.”

The plaintiff worked as an unpaid intern for JHA Management from approximately January 2020 to August 2022, the complaint states. The woman claims that during this time, she was scheduled for at least 14 hours per week but sometimes worked close to 40 hours a week, all while receiving no compensation.

Another plaintiff, a New York City resident, started out as an unpaid intern and went on to become an assistant, the filing shares. The new position afforded her roughly $200 biweekly—an amount still far below lawful minimum wage, the lawsuit charges.

The suit argues the company has exploited the workers to avoid paying legally required wages and minimize labor costs.

“[JHA Management] used the offer of a temporary personal management contract to draw numerous young actors with hopes of obtaining a personal manager for their own artistic careers into performing free labor for JHA’s business operations,” the case asserts.

In addition, the complaint alleges the company failed to provide workers with wage notices at the beginning of their employment and adequate wage statements when paid, as required by state law.

The proposed class and collective action lawsuit looks to represent anyone who has worked as an unpaid intern or underpaid assistant at JHA Management within the past three years.

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