A Denver District Court judge has upheld a ruling that strip club workers have protections under the city’s wage and employment laws, rejecting the companies’ attempt to shut down a city investigation that had resulted in millions of dollars in penalties.

The ruling follows a Denver Auditor’s Office investigation into four strip clubs that operate in the city. Investigators used newly expanded subpoena powers to attempt to obtain documents from the strip clubs, and issued daily fines when they refused.

The investigation found hundreds of workers at two strip clubs, Diamond Cabaret and Rick’s Cabaret, had their wages stolen because they were misclassified in order to exempt them from labor laws and forced to pay fees to work. In February, the auditor ordered the strip clubs to pay $14 mil

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