Suing psychic can see back pay in her future

Saturday, September 04, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.

Suing psychic can see back pay in her future

By Maureen O'Hagan
Seattle Times staff reporter

"I was a sweatshop psychic."

So begins the autobiography of Diane London, who told fortunes for about a decade on a 900-number hotline before being summarily terminated by a persnickety new boss named Samantha.

"Thrown out like an old orange," said London, who never saw it coming.

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But now London has turned the tables. On Thursday, she filed a lawsuit in King County alleging that the National Psychic Network, one of the biggest companies of its kind, broke the law by failing to pay the minimum wage and overtime. The company counters that London was an independent contractor and therefore not eligible.

<snip>

"As soon as she started talking to me, I thought this was a good case," said Seattle attorney John Scannell. A character-about-town who was quoted years ago as saying that he aspired to be the "world's greatest Zamboni driver," Scannell has a growing list of underpaid clients — from exotic dancers to computer techies — stuck in the independent-contractor morass.

"Nobody ever challenges it because it never occurs to people," he said. It certainly occurred to London, who likens her psychic style to Judge Judy meets Dr. Ruth meets Ann Landers. Throw in a little Phyllis Diller, too, for this self-described "hot-tomato-turned-stewed-tomato" who pokes fun at herself and most everyone else.

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This is a real story....What a scream! Thank you Seattle Times for cheering up my day! The Zamboni driver turned lawyer without law school defending the sweatshop psychic! LOL More at this

This is the true American Dream...Zambomi Driver to attorney for the indigent w/o Law Shchool and the cronyism that seems to entail.

Do away with law schools and make it an apprentice trade, like electricians.

eom