Producers of the PBS program Charlie Rose have agreed to pay up to $250,000 to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by a former unpaid intern, the New York Times reports.
The lawsuit, filed in March by Lucy Bickerton, contended the program violated New York state wage laws by not paying its interns. Bickerton interned for Charlie Rose in 2007. Under the terms of the settlement, the program’s parent company, Charlie Rose, Inc., will pay $1,100 in back pay to up to 189 former interns — averaging $110 per week for up to 10 weeks of work.
As part of the terms of the settlement, host and executive producer Charlie Rose, along with his company, officially do not admit to any wrongdoing.
Many public TV internships offered across the country, including various positions at PBS, remain unpaid.