On E!'s Fashion Police, hosts Joan Rivers and Kelly Osbourne identify which celebrities are upstanding apparel citizens and point out those who are creating fashion felonies. However, the show is accused of breaking laws itself. Although the TV personalities may not be committing crimes with their clothing, the show's writers allege they have been vastly underpaid for their time and attendance writing quips for the program.

Eliza Skinner, one of the show's writers, said "The most I've been paid for a show has been for eight hours of work... In reality, I put in anywhere from 12 to 32 additional hours on each show - time I should have been compensated for."

Skinner and eight other writers from the show have partnered with the Writers Guild of America West to file the claim against their employer in an attempt to collect more than $1 million in back wages.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) establishes that employees in a creative position, such as actors, essayists, cartoonists and composers, are sometimes exempt from overtime provisions if their regular duties meet specific criteria.

However, labor laws are often more stringent in California. If it's determined that the writers are not exempt, the company may be asked to pay back wages at a rate no less than one-and-a-half times the standard hourly rate for any work past eight hours in a single day or 40 hours in a single week.

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