We read this very differently. Women in the oldest profession get paid generously for the services that Intern Monica Lewinsky provided for free, but that does not give Monica a valid claim on back pay.
Unpaid internships often include work for which others are paid, and the interns agree in the hope of learning marketable skills. Eliminating those internships (which your approach will do) will make it harder for those people to develop the skills to land a paying position. Creating labor law in this manner will quickly hurt those who would otherwise benefit from internships. As for fetching coffee, someone who tolerates much of that in an internship that is supposed to build professional skills should learn a very useful lesson on the sort of abuse to avoid.
We will never agree, and I will never support frivolous lawsuits. The fact that some activist judge or jury rules in favor of a frivolous claim does not give that claim validity.
“Unpaid internships often include work for which others are paid, “
Wrong. Including work for which others are paid in the scope of “internships” in the state of New York is illegal. It violates labor law. They. Broke. The. Law.
Why are you talking about “creating labor law” instead of acknowledging EXISTING LABOR LAW ON THE BOOKS? That’s why her lawsuit isn’t “frivolous.” The law is on her side.
And your dismissing her by saying she should “learn a useful lesson?” What lesson? Shut up and take it when employers violate labor law? She didn’t break the law — CBS did. How about teaching Letterman/CBS a useful lesson by making them PAY HER WAGES FOR THE WORK SHE DID, AND THEN FINING THEM to discourage these unscrupulous business practices?