A lawsuit filed by a group of former Buffalo Bills cheerleaders against Cumulus Media has finally been settled in bankruptcy court after a long, eight-year legal battle.
According to Inside Radio, Cumulus Media has reached a $4 million settlement with more than 50 former Bills cheerleaders involved in a class-action lawsuit going back to when Citadel Broadcasting owned WGRF (“97 Rock”), the radio flagship for the team. The station also managed the “Buffalo Jills” cheerleading squad under an agreement with Bills team ownership.
The lawsuit, filed in April 2015 by five Bills cheerleaders, alleged that Citadel Broadcasting and the team violated New York Labor Law by classifying them as independent contractors, not employees and forcing them to make 25 to 30 appearances at community and charity events that totaled approximately 840 hours of unpaid work per year.
Inside Radio cites a report from LegalNews.com that showed a record of one cheerleader working 360.5 hours, yet was only paid for 17.5. Another worked nearly 373 hours, but was only paid for 16. The station not compensating the cheerleaders for that work constitutes a violation of the state’s labor laws.
Additionally, the suit says the Bills cheerleaders were required to model for a swimsuit calendar and sell copies of it, but weren’t compensated. According to NBC News, cheerleaders also had to pay $650 for their uniforms and weren’t reimbursed for expenses including travel.
The Buffalo Jills cheerleading squad was discontinued shortly after the lawsuit was filed and has not been revived since.
WGRF no longer carries Bills radio broadcasts, but Cumulus Media inherited the lawsuit when it purchased the station from Citadel Broadcasting.
In settling the lawsuit, Cumulus Media admits no wrongdoing and denies “any legal or equitable responsibility for the damages and injuries claimed.” Of the $4 million payment to the cheerleaders listed in the class-action suit, $3.5 million of that amount will be paid out by the Bills.
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
