Kanye West Sued for Sexual Harassment
By Boniface Ihiasota, USA
Kanye West, now known as Ye, is facing a lawsuit from a former assistant who alleges sexual harassment, breach of contract, and wrongful termination, Excel Magazine International reports.
Lauren Pisciotta, who worked as West’s assistant for two years, claims in her lawsuit that West sent her lewd texts and performed sex acts while on the phone with her.
She also alleges that West fired her in 2022 without paying a promised $3 million (£2.4 million) severance package.
The BBC reported that it has contacted West’s lawyer for a response to these allegations but has yet to receive a reply. The lawsuit, first reported by TMZ and later confirmed by Rolling Stone, The Wrap, and US Weekly, states that court papers were filed on Monday in the United States.
According to the lawsuit, Pisciotta met West in 2021 while supporting herself via an OnlyFans profile.
She was initially hired to work on the first season of his Yeezy women’s fashion line and collaborated on three tracks from his “Donda” album, though she does not have formal credits on the record.
Pisciotta was later hired as West’s personal assistant with an annual salary of $1 million (£780,000) on the condition that she was available “24-7.”
Pisciotta alleges that West initially allowed her to continue her OnlyFans business but later demanded she delete her account in exchange for an additional $1 million.
After she complied, she claims West began sending her explicit text messages and pornographic videos.
She also alleges that West masturbated while talking to her on the phone and, on one occasion, pleasured himself in front of her after “trapping” her in a private room on his plane.
In September 2022, Pisciotta says she was promoted to Chief of Staff for West’s various companies but was abruptly fired soon afterward. She claims her severance package was never paid.
In addition to sexual harassment, breach of contract, and wrongful termination, Pisciotta is suing West and his Yeezy businesses for fraud, unpaid wages, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
This is not the first time West has faced allegations of inappropriate behavior. Last November, multiple employees of his Yeezy fashion line told Rolling Stone that he had played pornographic films during staff meetings and showed an intimate photograph of his then-wife Kim Kardashian during job interviews. West has not responded to these allegations and has remained silent since.
West has previously spoken about his struggles with pornography addiction, describing it as a “full-on pornography addiction” that “destroyed my family.”
He once told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that it had played a major role in his life since childhood.
Earlier this year, West faced two other lawsuits.
In April, he was accused of racial discrimination and harassment by a former security guard at his now-closed school, the Donda Academy.
The guard claimed he faced discrimination because he is Muslim and was ordered to cut his dreadlocks or be fired. West has yet to respond to these allegations.
In February, he was sued by the estate of Donna Summer for using a sample of her song “I Feel Love” without permission. That case was settled out of court.
West, one of the most successful and prolific rappers of the 2000s and 2010s, has seen his recent career beset by controversies. Most notably, his lucrative contract with Adidas was terminated in November 2022 over antisemitic comments he made on social media. Despite this, he returned to the top of the US charts earlier this year with the hit single “Carnival” and its parent album “Vultures.”
