Raiders sued by ex-cheerleader over low wages

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The Raiders have been hit with another lawsuit related to their cheerleading squad. 

Susie Sanchez, a onetime Raiderette, is suing the franchise, claiming cheerleaders were denied a minimum wage, overtime pay and media opportunities, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.

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The lawsuit was filed in Alameda County Superior Court in Oakland. According to Sanchez, she and the other cheerleaders were forced to work in “deplorable” conditions and endure “grueling” training sessions at the beginning of every season. She asserts that they were not compensated for those sessions. Additionally, Sanchez and the other cheerleaders were forced to “ignore lingering and painful injuries during rehearsals and games for fear of being 'benched’ or fined.”

Drexel Bradshaw, Sanchez’s attorney, claimed that the former cheerleader was guaranteed “opportunities for exposure” in the media but the team “denied those opportunities when it didn’t suit the Raiders or the NFL.”

The Raiders faced a lawsuit at the beginning of 2014 that claimed cheerleaders who gained weight or looked soft were asked to sit out the following home game. Eventually, 90 women who were employed by the Raiders from 2010 to 2013 split a $1.25 million settlement. Sanchez turned down her share.

California's minimum wage is $9 per hour. The lawsuit alleges the cheerleaders were paid roughly $5 per hour, totaling $1,250 per season.

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