Job site TheLadders is facing a class action lawsuit in New York challenging its claim to be “a premium job site for only $100k+ [£67k] jobs, and only $100k+ talent”, according to the law firm representing premium members of the site.

Bursor & Fisher has taken its case to the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of individuals who held premium membership of the site from 11 March 2007 to 31 August 2011.

The lawsuit alleges that from its foundation, jobs it advertised had salaries under $100k, did not have authorisation from the end employer to be posted on the website or did not exist.

Headhunter and blogger Nick Corcodilos, who has posted a copy of the lawsuit on his blog, describes himself as “happy TheLadders is finally getting exposed for its stupidly arrogant empty promises”, and notes: “TheLadders is not a new subject on this blog. We’ve covered the company’s questionable behaviours many times. No one should be surprised that Marc Cenedella’s company is being sued.”

The lawsuit notes that premium memberships cost $30 a month or $180 a year, and suggests that the database available to such members “did not contain hand-screened job openings paying $100k+ as promised”, and that the expert résumé (CV) critique tool offered to them “failed to provide any résumé criticism responsive to members’ individual résumés”.

In a statement to online US magazine Business Insider, TheLadders chief executive officer Alex Douzet comments: "We believe the allegations set forth in this complaint to be false. In fact, our employees review job listings before they are posted to our site, as has always been our protocol. Additionally, we have a team of specialists who review resumes and provide individualised critiques.

“This complaint lacks merit, and we fully intend to take the necessary legal steps to dispose of it quickly. In the interim, we remain steadfast in our commitment to providing the best job-matching experience for employers and jobseekers, while serving as the fastest-growing source for career-driven professionals."