Lane Bryant added to clothing lawsuit

Lane Bryant has been added as a defendant in a King County Superior Court lawsuit that claims the clothing retailer and several sister companies violated state law by requiring employees to buy and wear clothes from the store without compensation.

The lawsuit against Charming Shoppes was filed on behalf of employees who worked at Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug and Catherines stores from 2002 to the present.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants required employees to purchase clothing at their own expense to be worn while at work. The suit claims that this practice reduced the pay of some employees below the minimum wage required by Washington law and also violated a state statute that prohibits employers from changing the styles or colors of employees' clothing more than once every two years.

Attempts to reach Charming Shoppes were unsuccessful.

Attorneys with the firm of Connor & Chung, which filed a similar lawsuit against Abercrombie & Fitch two years ago, are asking that the case be certified as a class-action lawsuit and are seeking reimbursement for employees who have worked at any of the named Charming Shoppes stores since February 2002.

The Abercrombie & Fitch case was settled this year for $850,000, according to attorney Anne-Marie E. Sargent.

Sargent said that the Abercrombie settlement gave entry-level workers $65 for every three months they worked for Abercrombie. Managers received $110 for every three months they worked for the retailer.

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com