Miami – May 7, 2026 – Greenspoon Marder LLP has secured a decisive directed verdict on behalf of Two by Two, Inc., d/b/a Twist, and its President, Joel Stedman, bringing a six-year class action lawsuit under the Florida Minimum Wage Act to a complete and conclusive end. The ruling delivers a major victory for one of South Beach’s most iconic and beloved nightlife institutions and a longtime cornerstone of the LGBTQ+ community.
After four days of live testimony and argument, Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Milton Hirsch granted Twist’s Motion for Directed Verdict pursuant to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.480, ruling that the Plaintiff and members of the Class failed to establish damages or present any legally viable method for the Jury to calculate damages on a class-wide basis. The Directed Verdict ended the case before it could be submitted to the Jury for deliberation.
The case, filed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in and for Miami-Dade County, Florida, was brought by former male entertainers who alleged they were misclassified as independent contractors and instead should have been treated as employees entitled to minimum wage protections under Florida law. Despite years of protracted litigation, the plaintiffs’ case failed on a critical threshold requirement, evidence of damages, resulting in a complete defense victory.
Litigation trial partners Jamey R. Campellone and Lawren A. Zann of Greenspoon Marder led the defense for Twist and Stedman. The defense presented extensive evidence establishing that the entertainers operated as independent contractors who entered into written agreements acknowledging their self-employed status, confirming they worked exclusively for tips from patrons, and recognizing their individual responsibility for filing taxes as self-employed individuals.
The defense further demonstrated that Twist and Stedman did not recruit, direct, or control the entertainers’ manner of work. Rather, the entertainers were contacted and invited to Twist by third parties, including a former DJ/comedian and a drag performer who entertained at the venue. The evidence demonstrated that the entertainers were transient, free to come and go as they pleased, without obligation, supervision, or direction from Twist or its ownership.
While the independent contractor evidence was compelling, and post-trial juror feedback indicated the defense would likely have prevailed on that issue as well, Judge Hirsch’s ruling turned on a separate, dispositive flaw: the plaintiffs’ inability to prove damages or offer any method for calculating them on a class-wide basis. That deficiency was fatal to the claims of the Class and brought the six-year litigation to an immediate conclusion.
The judgment closes a lengthy and hard-fought chapter for Twist, Stedman, and their legal team, reaffirming the venue’s prior business practices and ending years of uncertainty tied to the class-action lawsuit.
“This judgment in Twist’s and Stedman’s favor validates what our client has maintained from the very beginning,” said Mr. Campellone and Mr. Zann. “These entertainers operated independently, on their own terms, were organized through third parties, not under the control of Twist, and acknowledged their self-employed status in writing and by way of their own tax filings. We are proud to have secured a complete victory and to have brought this six-year ordeal to its rightful conclusion for this iconic South Beach institution.”
