Just a few years after being associated with a human trafficking ring, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen faced a dramatic legal dispute. In 2015, a group of interns working for their fashion label The Row filed a lawsuit against Dualstar Entertainment Group, the parent company, alleging unpaid wages and excessive workloads.
Shahista Lalani, a former design intern for the twins and the case plaintiff, claimed that the working conditions were harsh, with no breaks, overwhelming tasks, and unpaid overtime. Lalani told Page Six, “You’re like an employee, except you’re not getting paid. They’re kind of mean to you,” adding, “Other interns have cried. I’d see a lot of kids crying doing coffee runs, photocopying stuff.” Notably, Lalani didn’t directly work with the Olsen twins but with The Row’s head technical designer. She reportedly suffered dehydration and had to be constantly available despite working up to 50 hours per week.
Annett Wolf, a representative for Dualstar, countered the interns’ allegations in a statement to USA Today, stating that the company’s practices complied with the law. Eventually, the Olsen twins settled the case out of court, agreeing to pay $140,000 to a total of 185 interns, according to a Page Six report. However, the settlement did not imply an admission of fault by Dualstar. A Manhattan Supreme Court filing filed by the twins’ lawyer stated that they opted for the payout to “avoid the uncertainties of litigation.”
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