Bucs agree to settle lawsuit over cheerleader pay 
The settlement covers 94 current and former Bucs cheerleaders who worked for the team between June 3, 2009, and May 9, 2014. ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE BY JOSÉ PATIÑO GIRONATribune staff Published: March 6, 2015 at 09:11 PM 
Manouchcar Pierre-ValTAMPA — When Manouchcar Pierre-Val was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader, she performed on game day, practiced routines three to four times a week, taught at Bucs youth cheerleader camp and attended corporate events, nonprofit events and photo shoots for the annual calendar.What she wasn’t doing, she said, was getting paid for most of the time she represented the Bucs as a cheerleader.Pierre-Val said she was paid $100 for home games, and $25 to $50 an hour at corporate events. For the rest, she said, she received no compensation.Last year, Pierre-Val became the lead plaintiff in a federal court class-action lawsuit against the Buccaneers that claimed the NFL franchise violated federal and state wage laws.On Friday, it was announced the Bucs had agreed to settle the lawsuit by paying a maximum of $825,000 to set up a fund to reimburse cheerleaders for hours they said they were required to work but for which they weren’t paid.“It’s only fair that the girls get compensated for the time they put in, especially if the Bucs are reaping the benefits,” said Pierre-Val, who was a Bucs cheerleader from about March 2012 to March 2013.“Cheerleaders are not just performing on Sundays,” Pierre-Val said. “It’s a time commitment both mentally and physically.”The settlement says the team doesn’t admit any wrongdoing or liability but agrees to the settlement “to avoid the burden, expense, and uncertainty of continuing the Litigation.” The team declined comment on Friday.The settlement, which still must be approved by a judge, covers 94 current and former Bucs cheerleaders who worked for the team between June 3, 2009, and May 9, 2014. The cheerleaders can opt out of the agreement.According to the settlement, the average payment in back wages per season to each cheerleader would be $5,254.78, but after attorney’s fees and other costs are deducted, they would receive about $3,400 per season.The law firm Morgan & Morgan will receive about $264,000 of the settlement.The settlement was reached on Dec. 23 and was signed in February by former cheerleader Pierre-Val and Brian Ford, the Buccaneers chief operating officer. A motion for the settlement to be accepted was filed in U.S. District Court on Friday.Kimberly De Arcangelis, the Morgan & Morgan attorney who represented Pierre-Val in the class-action lawsuit, said some people see the cheerleaders in the spotlight and featured on team calendars and might think that is compensation enough. Instead, she said, the team was taking advantage of the cheerleaders.“Some of these girls were being taken for granted,” De Arcangelis said. “These girls are finally being recognized for their hard work. It’s about time that these cheerleaders also get compensated. They play a huge role in their (team’s) brand, so they should be compensated accordingly.”Pierre-Val said once she came forward she received criticism from some cheerleaders and some people in the community.“I got a lot of backlash,” said Pierre-Val, of Tampa, who is now a nurse practitioner and recently earned a master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Florida. “People see the girls on game day and they feel all we do is dance around the field and go home. We also bring money to the organization. People don’t understand we do a lot for the Bucs.”TBO.com producer Tim Chong contributed to this report.
