Conde Nast Kills Its Internship Program After 2 Former Interns Said It Was Illegal

Following a high-profile lawsuit related to intern pay, publishing giant Conde Nast has decided to end its internship program altogether, Women's Wear Daily reports.

Current interns will not be affected by Conde Nast's decision to discontinue its internship program.

Conde Nast publishes more than a dozen big-name magazines, including Vogue, Women's Wear Daily, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Glamour. The company declined to comment to WWD about its decision to end internships.

Two former interns filed a lawsuit filed a lawsuit against Conde Nast in June, alleging they were paid far less than minimum wage for their summer internships. One plaintiff compared her internship in the accessories department at W magazine to the movie "The Devil Wears Prada" and said she worked long hours for about $12 a day.

The other former intern who is part of the lawsuit worked for The New Yorker. The plaintiffs want their lawsuit to go forward as a class-action.

Earlier this year, a judge ruled in favor of two ex-Fox Searchlight interns who sued over their unpaid gigs and said their lawsuit could go forward as a class-action suit, meaning the pair could try to recover money for all Fox Searchlight unpaid interns.

The judge said Alex Footman and Eric Glatt, who brought the suit, qualified as "employees" and were entitled to minimum wage. Both worked on the "Black Swan" set.

The Department of Labor has established six criteria that internships must meet to be considered legal.