
LAS VEGAS — Talented magician David Copperfield and other companies under his control are being sued by seven stagehands for unpaid overtime pay. In a federal lawsuit filed in February the stagehands allege that they were forced to work up to 14 hours a day and up to seven days per week at Copperfield’s show at the MGM without being properly compensated. They also allege that that they were intimidated if they tried to speak up about the situation and said that they were repeatedly reminded that they had signed agreements which prohibited them from discussing the specifics about their employment.
Attorney’s for both sides are in talks in an attempt to iron out some type of agreement.
According to a research paper conducted by Jacob Loshin Copperfield’s employees are required to sign a restrictive agreement that threatens legal actions for not complying with the agreement that reads,
I . . . understand that in the course of my employment I may become entrusted with the secrets of the illusions and magic in the David Copperfield Show. I realize that this is privileged information and that a great deal of time, energy, and money has been spent in the development of these illusions. I promise never to discuss these secrets and methods with any other person, relative or friend. The secrets of the Magic of David Copperfield are the proprietary rights of David Copperfield and under penalty of sever fine I agree to cooperate with my total secrecy.
Cooperfield’s legal team says that the the employees have released trade secrets of the magician and they they filed the lawsuit in an attempt to cover up the real issues. In 2009, Copperfield was sued by a woman who claimed that she was sexually assaulted after being brought to a private island after meeting the magician at a magic show in 2007. That lawsuit was dropped in 2010.