Kanye West is facing a lawsuit from a group of former employees who accuse him and his former chief of staff, Milo Yiannopoulos, of “fostering a racist environment” and forcing them to work “insanely long hours.”
According to TMZ, the lawsuit was filed by developers hired to work on West’s YZYVSN streaming service app, intended to promote his new albums, “Vultures” and “Vultures 2.”
The developers were reportedly promised $120,000 in pay if they “completed the app.”
However, they were later forced to sign nondisclosure agreements under the threat of losing their jobs and not being paid. Additionally, some employees who were minors were required to sign “volunteer” agreements, indicating they would receive no pay for their work.
The developers primarily worked on the app remotely, staying in touch via Slack and other tools, aiming to meet a May 1, 2024 deadline for completing the app.
When they asked for their pay, neither West nor Yiannopoulos allegedly responded to their requests, leading to the lawsuit.
The former employees are seeking the complete payment of their unpaid wages and compensation for overtime. They are also asking for damages for the emotional distress they allegedly suffered.
In the documents, the developers claimed they were openly “mocked with racist jabs.” They also alleged that some of their colleagues were called “slaves” and “new slaves” during interactions.
West’s wife, Bianca Censori, is alleged to have sent “one worker a file-sharing link containing hardcore sexual activity,” which was allegedly intended for the development of West’s porn app.
The lawsuit comes several weeks after Yiannopoulos resigned from Yeezy due to West’s porn studio project.
West has not publicly commented on the lawsuit.
