Federal Judge “Interns Must be Paid”

Internships often offer the benefit of experience with the drawback of no pay. But if a Federal Court ruling stands, that could soon change.

New York Federal Judge William H. Pauley III has ruled that Fox Searchlight Pictures should have paid two interns working on the film “Black Swan”. The judge based his ruling on the fact that the two interns were working as if they were regular employees.

According to a report in the New York Times, the ruling could have an effect on numerous companies that don’t pay interns while arguing that the experience is educational. “Employers have already started to take a hard look at their internship programs,” Rachel Bien, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told the Times. “I think this decision will go far to discourage private companies from having unpaid internship programs.”