- A authorized consultant for Kanye West has responded on behalf of the rapper after a lawsuit was filed in opposition to him
- The court docket criticism filed by the musician’s ex-assistant alleges sexual harassment and a hostile work atmosphere
- West’s former private assistant additionally claims she was subjected to express texts, pornographic images, movies and cellphone calls earlier than being fired in 2022
Kanye West is now accusing his ex-assistant of “blackmail and extortion” after a lawsuit was filed in opposition to him earlier this week alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work atmosphere.
A criticism obtained by PEOPLE said that West’s former private assistant, Lauren Pisciotta — who says she additionally labored as an govt for the rapper’s varied corporations — is suing him after she was allegedly subjected to express texts, pornographic images, movies and cellphone calls earlier than being “wrongfully terminated.” She’s at present looking for compensation for her time of employment, together with breach of contract.
In a brand new assertion shared with PEOPLE, a consultant for West claimed the rapper, 46, is submitting his personal lawsuit in opposition to his ex-employee for making “baseless allegations” in opposition to him and making “calls for” of “$50 [million] in final week’s frivolous submitting.” Courtroom data don’t present that West has filed a lawsuit in opposition to Pisciotta right now.
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A press release from West’s authorized consultant claimed Pisciotta was “terminated for being unqualified” and “demanding unreasonable sums of cash (together with a $4 million annual wage).” The assertion additionally alleged that previous to her termination, Pisciotta “stole [West’s] cellphone in an try and destroy cellphone data.”
Moreover, it alleged that Pisciotta “used sexual coercion in an try and demand not solely cash however materials objects, specifically Hermes Birkin baggage, a Lamborghini” and “cosmetic surgery.”
“Such habits is fully inconsistent with somebody who claims to have been sexually harassed or skilled a hostile work atmosphere,” West’s consultant wrote within the assertion. “It’s evident that Ms. Pisciotta leveraged her affiliation with Ye and his firm, and her proximity to him, to hunt materials beneficial properties, clout and employment via inappropriate means.”
Pisciotta didn’t instantly return PEOPLE’s request for remark, nor did Pisciotta’s legal professional.
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In Pisciotta’s lawsuit, she claimed that West initially employed her in July 2021 to work on his Yeezy girls’s trend line and that he collaborated together with her on three songs for his Donda album. She alleged that West then employed her as his private assistant, after which they “agreed on a wage” of $1 million on the situation that she was accessible “24” hours a day and “seven” days per week, which she accepted.
Per the criticism, Pisciotta — an Instagram mannequin with over 1 million followers — stated she additionally labored as an OnlyFans mannequin throughout that point.
After a 12 months of working as West’s assistant, she claimed that the “Vultures” rapper informed her he needed her to be “God like” and requested that she delete her OnlyFans account, allegedly promising to pay her a further $1 million to make up for her loss in earnings if she did so. In line with the lawsuit, she agreed.
Nonetheless, quickly after closing her account, Pisciotta claimed that West started sending her vulgar messages by which he explicitly described sexual acts that he needed to interact in, together with pornographic images and movies.
She additionally alleged that West would masturbate whereas he had cellphone conversations together with her, requested her questions on her boyfriends’ penis sizes, and in a single occasion, requested that she take away her cardigan within the workplace as a result of it “was overlaying an excessive amount of.”
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In one other incident detailed within the submitting, Pisciotta claimed that the Lifetime of Pablo musician as soon as trapped her in a personal room on his aircraft and pleasured himself in entrance of her.
After over a 12 months of working for West, Pisciotta stated she was ultimately promoted to Chief of Workers of his varied corporations in September 2022, which got here with a $4 million wage. Nonetheless, she claimed the rapper fired her a month later. Pisciotta claimed she was provided $3 million in severance pay however allegedly by no means acquired it.
Along with wrongful termination, Pisciotta can be suing West and his Yeezy companies for fraud, unpaid wages and intentional infliction of emotional misery, per the court docket criticism.
