Recently quit an agnecy that has only been open 3 months and I have been there since week 2. Until recently it was great but since summer the business has been down. The owner felt that since he is the boss he can try to act like a pimp. Told me that I had to give him $100 for every call that I did on the side (outside of the agency)or I had to leave. Which option do you think I chose? Now for the record, they knew and were OK since day one with me doing calls as an independant. Now they want to dip their greedy hands into my money that I do all the leg work on. So we ended on a what i thought was a good good-bye. Next day our paychecks were supposed to be in the office (from credit card money). Of course mine was not there and neither were the owners. Finally was able to get a hold of one the owners and he informed me that i was not getting a check nor will I ever. They won't return my calls and told me to never step onto their property. My previous coworkers tell me that they're justifying stealing my money by saying I owe fines. My total from credit card transactions comes close to $3,000. I was supposed to have that amount over a 6wk time period in 3 separate checks. I never stole from them never screwed them over, nothing! These outrageous fines that they're saying I owe are all lies.  I never knew or ever signed anything saying I would agree to pay fines and in this case I did nothing wrong but maybe piss them off because I chose to leave, even though they gave me the decision to quit. Can I sue them and get what is mine or is this thing to big for me? I can't lay around and shrug it off like loosing a bet. I even have proof of every credit card transaction I did w/ signatures from others that work in the agncy. Is the reality of this actually my worst nightmare?

I'm sorry to say that there isn't much you can do.  If you try to sue you will have to explain why the agency owes you so much money, and that means you will have to admit (under oath) to multiple acts of prostitution.  The court won't enforce your contract because it was illegal, and you will have exposed yourself to multiple criminal charges.

$3,000 is enough money to make a difference in people's lives, but it is not nearly enough to justify the amount of trouble you would create for yourself this way - especially since you won't get your money back anyway.

The answers above are definately tailored to the US situation.  But since escorting (and even prostitution) are  legal in Canada, if you are up here, you are in the right.  I would suggest going through Labour Relations before trying small claims court.  I believe that would be the more appropriate channel, and will probably yield much quicker results.

However, if your friends and family aren't aware that you escort, you may want to weigh the loss of wages against the possiblity that the info could leak to them if this is made public.

Best wishes in whatever you decide to do.

This is a perfect example of why the hobby needs to be decriminalized.  A legal transaction would have all the protections/benefits that a free capitalist open market transaction/contract has to offer.

Move on....you have more earning potential then the dog that screwed you over. But don't ever forget the dog that screwed you over because ever dog has there day.
Also remember, to keep your friends close but your enimes closer. Most of all don't be vindictive, be patient.

If you think your former boss is just a schmuck and is not mobbed up then call and demand to speak with him. Tell him that unless he sends you your full payment within 48 hours you will have no other choice but to inform the IRS, the DA, and the local newspapers and media about his business activities - anonymously of course. Don't send him this in a letter and don't leave a voicemail message for him. if he refuses to come to the phone then tell this to the person who answers. And, be prepared to follow through if he fails to send you the money. It will teach him a valuable lesson.

If he is mobbed up then ignore my advice.

I would file a report...escorting is legal and some of my clients actually do hire me to just get drunk w/ them b/c they don't want to drink alone and I am more fun than being in a bar.

clients also hire girls for a shoulder to cry on or to play the part of a beard so you are doing legal work.

see if you can file a complaint so they lose their business liscense...the pimp may back off....you could be a future witness in putting him away for some jail time if the LE finds more girls scammed just like you

well i will say to you that depending on where you are located there are ways to get your money and i can asure you of that.

this is old, but there's no resolution posted.  

If you never got paid, call and ask a lawyer.  It'll probably cost you a few bucks, but most lawyers will tell you if you have a case or not.  Clearly, them taking money and not paying you is illegal, but what you did to earn that is also.

Contacting VISA/MC could get their merchant account revoked and they'd be out of business, at least temporarily.. But remember, almost anything you do, especially in a legal arena can become public.  

One guy suggested threatening to call the media, etc, but that could end you up in the morgue.  Mobbed or not, there are enough crazy people out there who'd do that guy a favor, it's risky to take the chance.

The first step, if you've not done anything is to ask a lawyer what your rights are.  You provided a service for which he was paid for.  My guess is you're entitled to the money you earned, as commission and he could be forced to pay.  Maybe even small claims court.  Remember, he's as unlikely to want to go to court to dispute owing a sex provider money as you'd be.  

Hope it's worked out ok already, but it not, good luck..!

It is possible (though a sizeable gamble) that you
could file a lawsuit WITHOUT saying exactly what
you did for them, or giving a vague cover story
that sounds reasonable (give this a lot of thought,
I'm too tired to dream one up right now).

The reason this MIGHT work is that THEY have
infinitely more to lose than you do by coming into
court and saying "Oh, no, that's not right, we're
running a prostitution business."  So if you don't
come out and say what you do, they probably won't
either.  So if you can describe it in clean terms
in a lawsuit, there is plenty of reason for them
to not challenge your version of the story. (Hint:
Take a look at their own advertisements and see
where they play games trying to be suggestive without
sounding illegal.  Try to follow their lead, because
then their own advertisements and their own cover
story they use to avoid being busted themselves will
actually support you in your own story, and they will
not be able to contradict their own cover story.  In
fact, a good lawsuit would actually QUOTE from them.)

a lot of this depends on your particular State.  Some
States make it relatively easy to get a default judgment
with only an affidavit that the money is due.  In that
case, there is  a good chance that they would simply
never show up in court, out of fear of saying too much
or attracting too much attention to themselves.  You
would then win by default.

The one danger you would want to consider is whether
they could say they run a clean business but they fired
you because you were doing things you weren't supposed
to be doing with the clients.  They would have a hard
time with this argument, if you have a decent lawyer,
because the only way that they could possibly make this
argument is through HEARSAY, which is not allowed.
They would have to say "Client X told me Y" at which
time your lawyer would jump up and say "Objection! Hearsay!"

I still think they have far more to lose than you
do and far more at stake than $3000, and they would
simply not show up in court.

What State are you in anyway?