HOUSTON — Five former N.F.L. cheerleaders sued the Houston Texans on Friday, claiming the team failed to fully compensate them as required by law and subjected them to a hostile work environment in which they were harassed and intimidated.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court here, accuses the franchise of paying the women less than the $7.25 per hour they were promised, not compensating them for making public appearances or performing other tasks related to their jobs, and creating a workplace where the women were threatened with being fired for voicing any complaints.
“I and my fellow cheerleaders were treated as the lowest of the low,” Hannah Turnbow, one of the former cheerleaders, said at a news conference.