The Kansas Supreme Court is being asked to settle a legal dispute between the state and the owner of a gentlemen’s club outside Topeka.

The court will hear arguments Wednesday on whether the women who dance at Club Orleans are employees of the business.

The club contends they’re tenants who rent its stage and control their own schedules and performances.

The Department of Labor disagrees and wants the club to pay a tax based on the dancers’ wages to help finance unemployment benefits.

The club doesn’t pay the dancers, but the state considers their tips to be wages. According to court documents, the club sets a minimum tip of $1 for a stage dance, $10 for a lap dance and $20 for a private dance in the so-called champagne room.