The Real Hair Truth has exclusively learned that the reality TV star and entrepreneur has been slapped with a $5 million class action lawsuit by students in his beauty schools, who claim he worked them like dogs and paid them nothing in return. According to court documents obtained by Real Hair Truth , DeJoria, the founder of the hair products company Paul Mitchell and Paul Mitchell cosmetology schools, is not giving his students any compensation for their services, and they are suing for “failure to pay minimum wages and/or overtime wages.”
The schools charges the general public a lower rate for hair services than local salons, but the lawsuit claims that the students are required to provide the services to those customers without receiving wages in return.
The Paul Mitchell schools — allegedly numbering “over 50 and possibly over 100″ in 35 states — are able to operate at a lower cost because the students are providing them with free labor, according to the court documents. If the students weren’t there, they claim, the school would have to hire regular cosmetologists, and pay them minimum wage at least.
The members of the lawsuit state they were employees, not students, and since they weren’t paid, DeJoria broke federal law. They are asking for a jury trial and a $5 million payment from DeJoria.
The Real Hair Truth 
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