Bengals cheerleaders will likely be getting some serious back pay in the next few months, thanks to a settlement reached in federal court this week.
The team has agreed to pay its cheerleaders a total of $255,000 to settle a lawsuit that was filed in February 2014 by Ben-Gal Alexa Brenneman, according to the Associated Press.
Under the settlement, any cheerleader who was a member of the Ben-Gals between the 2011 and 2013 NFL seasons will be eligible to receive up to $2,500 for every season they were with the squad.
Brenneman, who filed the lawsuit because she claims she was paid only $855 for more than 300 hours of work during the 2013 season, will get $5,000 for being the lead plaintiff.
In the lawsuit, Brenneman claimed that the Ben-Gals were being paid a wage the equaled out to roughly $2.85 per hour.
The settlement is expected to be finalized at a Dec. 3 fairness hearing. However, the Bengals can drop out of the settlement at any time if cheerleaders with up to six total years of experience opt out of the settlement. For instance, if two cheerleaders with three years of experience each drop out, that would be the six years of experience needed to trigger the Bengals' opt-out clause.
The Bengals have agreed to pay the cheerleaders to put this behind them, according to the team. In a memorandum of support filed with the court, the Bengals noted that they have "denied and will continue to deny any liability or wrongdoing with respect to the alleged facts and causes of action asserted in the lawsuit."
