Kanye West Sued by Former Staff Alleging Racist Work Environment and Unpaid Wages
Kanye West and former Yeezy apparel chief of staff Milo Yiannopoulos have been hit with a lawsuit filed in a United States District Court in California. The plaintiffs include eight former employees, who allege that they were subjected to “forced labor and cruel inhuman, or degrading treatment” while working on the development of a streaming app for Ye earlier this year. The group includes young adults and minors, some as young as 14, from various countries including the U.S., the UK, Hungary, and Nigeria.
The case arises from Ye's efforts to develop a streaming service app to promote his album "Vultures 2." The Yeezy company acquired YZYVSN, an app made by developers who were keen to work with Ye. The lawsuit details that the working conditions on this project were particularly hostile, with employees being targeted for certain aspects of their identity such as their gender, race, and sexual orientation.
The lawsuit claims that Ye, along with Yiannopoulos, created a hostile work environment marked by extreme racism and bullying, including being called "slaves'' and "new slaves" in work-related group chats on the messaging service Discord. The plaintiffs also claim they were exposed to pornographic images and that minors were not protected from such material. The lawsuit details a specific incident in which sexually explicit material was shared to an employee through a file-sharing link to pornography sent by Ye's wife, Bianca Censori.
Despite completing the app in May, the plaintiffs claim they have not been paid for their work. As reported by Complex, they are seeking compensation for unpaid wages, attorney fees, and damages for emotional distress.
