Former Employees of Kanye West Allege Toxic Work Environment, Unsettled Payment: Legal Action
Kanye West and his Yeezy company are facing serious allegations of mistreatment towards staff members in a new lawsuit filed recently. According to The Washington Post, eight employees, including minors, have accused West, his former chief of staff Milo Yiannopolous, and the Yeezy company of not paying team members and subjecting them to derogatory treatment, including referring to them as “slaves” and exposing them to pornographic images.
The lawsuit claims that the team was working on developing a streaming service app for West’s project Vultures 2, which was acquired by Yeezy. The team consisted of individuals from around the world, including minors as young as 14. The suit also alleges that team members were bullied on Discord based on age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Racial slurs were reportedly made against Black team members, and only white team members were promised developer positions.
This is not the first time West has been accused of inappropriate behavior towards his team members. Rolling Stone previously reported on allegations of West using porn, bullying, and “mind games” to control his staff. West has publicly admitted to struggling with a pornography addiction that he claims has affected his family.
The recent lawsuit claims that after the app was completed, the team was promised payment by Yeezy and Yiannopolous, but they never received it. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that minors were exposed to pornography while working on the project. Yiannopolous has denied these allegations, stating that the Yeezy Porn studio does not exist and that he has done everything possible to ensure the developers are paid.
The lawsuit, filed in a California District Court, is one of several legal challenges West is currently facing from former employees. Earlier this month, West’s ex-assistant Lauren Pisciotta accused him of sexual harassment, breach of contract, and wrongful termination. West has denied these accusations and plans to countersue, calling Pisciotta’s claims “baseless” and accusing her of extortion.
Overall, the allegations against Kanye West and his Yeezy company paint a troubling picture of a toxic work environment and mistreatment of staff members. It remains to be seen how these legal battles will unfold and what consequences West and his company will face as a result of these allegations.
