(RepublicanDaily.org) – Kanye West is once again embroiled in scandal after he was sued by several former employees who claimed that the controversial rapper, fashion designer, and entrepreneur created a toxic work environment and even called employees his “new slaves.”
Other claims made by the workers include unpaid wages and other bizarre behavior, even to team members who were minors as young as 14 years old.
Eight employees have filed a lawsuit against West, along with Milo Yiannopoulos, the former Yeezy Apparel chief of staff. The suit accuses the two defendants of “extreme racism and bullying” as well as several long hours’ worth of unpaid wages.
According to Thigpen Legal, the firm representing the plaintiffs, the workers were employed to develop an app for West and Yiannopoulos. The employees were all very young, whose ages ranged from 14 years old to 17 years old. The workers were also from various countries, from the U.S., Hungary, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria. The plaintiffs claim that during the course of their employment, there were subjected to “intolerable harassment and discrimination” from West and Yiannopoulos.
Furthermore, West and Yiannopoulos are being accused of “regularly” and “viciously bullying” the eight former employees over their sexual orientation and gender, and race. The plaintiffs allege that some of them were referred to as “new slaves” on a workplace group chat on the Discord platform, and a group chat bearing the derogatory label was also allegedly created for new employees. A “whites only” group chat was also formed, and employees of color and minors were assigned the “less favorable” tasks.
The lawsuit also adds that the minors were often exposed to content from West’s venture, “Yeezy ****,” with some of them even asked to be part of the teams working on them.
West and Yiannopoulos also barred many of their employees from taking breaks and withholding pay unless employees would agree to work 12-hour days and all-nighter shifts. And at the end of the project, the former employees said that they did not receive compensation for their work.
The suit was filed with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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