David Copperfield makes overtime lawsuit vanish through settlement

Illusionist David Copperfield has agreed to a $500,000 settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by people who said they were not paid overtime for work on his magic show at the MGM Grand.

The agreement stems from a suit filed last year that accused Copperfield, as well as four companies he controls, of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and Nevada law.

Named as defendants in the federal case, in addition to Copperfield, were David Copperfield’s Disappearing Inc., Backstage Employment, Referral Inc. and Imagine Nation Company. Also named as a defendant is Christopher Kenner, CEO of Backstage Employment.

According to court papers, Copperfield would pay a total of $552,282.74 — $268,089.23 for members of the class action, $140,600 for plaintiffs named in the lawsuit and $143,593.51 in lawyer fees.

The settlement applies to those who worked as assistants, magic lab employees and stagehands for Backstage Employment and Referral between Jan. 1, 2012 and Dec. 31, 2013.

“There are two sides to every story,” said Copperfield spokeswoman Staci Wolfe. “The Copperfield team settled because they prefer the employees benefit from the money rather than a three year fight where the only people that win are the lawyers.”

The two sides agreed that the assistants worked 16.5 hours of overtime; magic lab employees worked 15 hours; and stagehands worked 11 hours each week during that period.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro approved a motion defining the settlement class and set a hearing on the settlement for May.

Under the agreement, Copperfield and the other defendants continue to deny any liability of the original claims. And the plaintiffs agreed not to sue or make another claim stemming from the issue.

Contact reporter David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker