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The settlement, disclosed in papers filed in Manhattan
federal court on Tuesday, is the latest in a series struck by
media and entertainment companies over claims they paid interns
little or nothing for their work.
Warner Music in a statement said it was pleased to settle.
"We continue to stand by our internship program as an invaluable
educational experience for students looking to obtain hands-on,
real-world training," it said.
The settlement requires court approval, and covers interns who
were paid nothing or less than minimum wage, in periods dating
as far back as June 2007 for those working in New York.
Warner Music, owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik's Access
Industries, reserved the right to terminate the settlement if
the number of claimants exceeds 1,135, according to court
papers.
Lawyers for the interns may seek up to 18.6 percent of the
settlement amount as attorney fees, or $787,500. They did not
respond to a request for comment.
Many lawsuits over intern pay were filed after a major June 2013
decision in which U.S. District Judge William Pauley in
Manhattan said Twenty-First Century Fox Inc <FOXA.O> should have
paid two interns who worked on the 2010 movie "Black Swan."
Other companies to settle with interns include Comcast Corp's <CMSCA.O>
NBCUniversal, for $6.4 million; Condé Nast, for $5.85 million,
and Viacom Inc <VIAB.O>, for $7.21 million.
The case is Grant v. Warner Music Group Corp, U.S. District
Court, Southern District of New York, No. 13-04449.
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