U.S. Court Dismisses RICO Action for Alleged Misclassification

A federal appellate court dismissed a racketeering lawsuit filed by five painters who alleged the business they worked for misclassified them as independent contractors, finding that the suit was precluded by administrative remedies in the Internal Revenue Code and the Social Security Act.Case: Gifford v. Meda, 09-cv-13486, 05/10/2010.Facts: Frank Gifford, Sammy Lewis, Ron McCulloch, Mark Vogelei and Kenneth Marvin Jones painted houses and commercial properties and refinished furniture for Michael Meda's business, Meda Custom Painting. Each of the men was required to obtain a "doing busine...