Yeezy was sued in March 2023 by Maya Stewart, who alleged she was let go after making complaints about meal breaks and pay, and accused the company of whistleblower retaliation.
- Jan 4, 2024
AceShowbiz - Kanye West's company wants a lawsuit brought by a woman who claimed she worked 21-hour days to be thrown out of court. Yeezy was sued in March 2023 by Maya Stewart, who alleged she was let go after making complaints about meal breaks and pay, and accused the firm and collaborators Gap of whistleblower retaliation, as well as failure to prevent discrimination and retaliation, failure to pay overtime and wrongful termination, and they have now issued a response to the submission.
The Gap had denied all allegations of wrongdoing and insisted Kanye be liable for any damages awarded to the woman, and now Yeezy has argued their actions were "justified." In court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, their response stated, "Defendants did not authorise, direct or ratify any alleged wrongful conduct.
"Plaintiff's claims are barred for the reason that the alleged conduct of Defendants was at all times undertaken in the good-faith exercise of a legitimate business purpose," they continued. They want the entire lawsuit to be thrown out and Maya to be ordered to cover the cost of their legal fees.
In her lawsuit, the accessories developer claimed she first complained about meal and rest break violation in spring 2021, a few months after she joined the company, but after raising the issue with the head of Yeezy Gap and other executives, she alleged her hourly pay was dropped from $60 to $50. Maya later raised the issue about overtime not being paid properly, alleging she worked between 50-80 hours per week, and claimed as a result the defendants retaliated by refusing to pay her in June 2021 and all future compensation owed.
The suit also claimed Yeezy insisted the employee, who alleged she worked 21 hours per day in her final week at the firm, used her own supplies at times and failed to provide proper lunch breaks. She sought unspecified damages after claiming she had suffered humiliation, shame, despair, embarrassment, depression, mental pain and anguish over being fired.
