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n a ruling that could ripple far beyond Colorado, a Denver district court has formally declared what adult entertainers have been saying for decades: stripping is work — and workers deserve protections.
Issued Monday, the decision affirms that strip club dancers are employees, not independent contractors, making them eligible for Denver’s full labor protections, including minimum wage and restitution for unpaid earnings. The case stems from wage theft investigations led by the Denver Auditor’s Office, which found systemic underpayment and exploitation at several local clubs — including Rick’s Cabaret, PT’s Showclub, and Diamond Cabaret.
Work Is Work — No Exceptions
Club attorneys argued that exotic dancers fall outside the city’s wage and employment laws, claiming adult venues operate under a unique set of rules. The court didn’t buy it. Instead, the judge upheld the Auditor’s findings that performers are employees performing labor in Denver — and therefore entitled to every protection afforded under city law.
“Our office enforces wage theft laws for all industries and protects anyone performing work in Denver,” said Timothy M. O’Brien, the city’s elected auditor. “Adult entertainment workers are no different, and we are pleased the courts agree.” That line — adult entertainment workers are no different — feels simple, but in this context, it’s seismic.
Wage Theft in Plain Sight
According to Denver Labor, the city’s enforcement division, adult venues have become a focal point for wage investigations because of the industry’s high vulnerability to exploitation.
“Entertainers are workers,” the office stated, “and therefore are entitled to the fundamental protections of Denver’s wage ordinances.”
Matthew Fritz-Mauer, executive director of Denver Labor, was more direct: “The strip clubs have tried every tactic to avoid paying these workers properly — even inventing new legal arguments when the old ones failed.”
The Auditor’s Office is now seeking nearly $14 million in restitution from two venues — Diamond Cabaret and Rick’s Cabaret — following investigations that found wage theft affecting roughly 230 workers, including dancers, bartenders, and servers. For an industry that thrives on performance and proximity, it’s a reminder that glamour doesn’t cancel out labor.
The Legal Fight Isn’t Over — But the Message Is Clear
The clubs involved have appealed the decision to a higher state court, arguing that Denver Labor exceeded its authority and that the investigations stretched beyond the Auditor’s lawful jurisdiction. But for now, the district court’s ruling stands — and it marks a decisive moment in how cities apply labor law to nightlife and adult entertainment. It’s also part of a larger national reckoning. From gig workers to go-go dancers, courts and municipalities are reexamining what counts as employment — and who gets left behind when labor laws lag behind the economy.
For decades, adult entertainers have existed in a legal gray zone — performing labor that’s visible, taxable, and profitable, yet somehow treated as something other. Denver’s ruling doesn’t erase that double standard overnight. But it does something equally powerful: it names the work for what it is.
Stripping is work. Sex work is work. And work, by law, deserves wages, protections, and respect. Whether in stilettos or steel-toe boots, the message is the same — workers are workers.
