In a case that could significantly change the Internet landscape, former volunteer chat room host are suing AOL for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act and California labor law. The suit, which could expand from the initial three plaintiffs to a class action of over 5,000 California chat room hosts, parallels a suit brought against AOL in 1999 in New York State. Both suits arise from the fact that AOL required hosts to adhere to schedules and weekly work minimums, and generally treated them as employees, but failed to pay them for the services they performed.
See LISA GIRION, Los Angeles Times, October 24, 2001