A former dancer at Strippers, a club located in Byron, Middle Georgia, has filed a lawsuit against the club and its owner, Justin Chambers, claiming that the establishment is not paying its workers the minimum wage. Rodnisha Harris, who worked as a dancer at the club until May 2022, alleges that Chambers categorizes dancers as “independent contractors,” forcing them to share tips with other club workers and not providing them with wages beyond their tips.
According to court records, Harris’ law firm, Martin & Martin, stated that the club and its supervisors required dancers to pay “kickbacks or fees” for each shift they worked. Moreover, 15% of their tips supposedly went to the club’s DJ, and $15 from each “private dance” was tipped out.
The lawsuit further contends that Chambers deliberately withheld information from the dancers about not receiving the minimum wage. Harris asserts that Chambers personally handled all the fees for the dancers and knowingly chose to categorize them as independent contractors instead of employees. She is seeking a jury trial and filed the lawsuit on behalf of herself and others similarly situated within the club.
Harris’ lawsuit marks the second time in the last five years that a dancer has brought allegations against the club. In 2018, another dancer named Destiny Bailey sued the club, then known as “Neon Cowboy,” for similar wage disparities. The club eventually settled the lawsuit in 2019, paying Bailey and four other dancers a total of $147,000. However, according to Harris’ law firm, the club did not change its pay policies, continuing to classify dancers as contractors rather than employees to avoid providing worker’s compensation insurance or contributing to unemployment benefits.
The club, located near Interstate 75 in Byron, has attracted attention with its billboards declaring, “Need We Say More,” as a means to attract patrons passing through Peach County. Justin Chambers’ father, the late John Chambers, previously managed the club and was known for his adult establishments and brief career as a professional wrestler.
As this is a lawsuit, it represents only one side of the legal argument. The original article was published on July 28, 2023, at 2:31 PM by Micah Johnston, a general assignment reporter for the Macon Telegraph.