A former cameraman who collaborated with hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion has sued her, claiming harassment and the creation of a ‘hostile, abusive work environment.’
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, lists Megan Pete (the rapper's real name) and her companies Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment, Inc., Hot Girl Touring, LLC, and Roc Nation as defendants.
The lawsuit alleges violations of labor codes and asserts that the cameraman, Emilio Garcia, was not fairly compensated for his work. Garcia was reportedly hired in July 2018 and wrongly classified as an independent contractor, depriving him of California law protections such as healthcare and overtime pay.
In August 2022, Roc Nation shifted its compensation system to a pay-per-task model. However, Garcia claims that despite this change, the time demands and expectations remained unchanged while pay decreased considerably. Additionally, he alleges that Megan prohibited him from working with other clients.
Meghan's attorney, Alex Spiro, dismissed the claims, stating, ‘This is an employment claim for money—with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her. We will deal with this in court.’
One disturbing incident mentioned in the complaint allegedly occurred during a night out in Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022. Garcia claims that while riding in an SUV with three other women, Megan and one of the women engaged in sexual activity ‘right beside’ him. He stated that he ‘could not get out of the car as it was both moving and he was in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country’ and felt ‘embarrassed, mortified, and offended throughout the whole ordeal.’
‘I felt uncomfortable. I was kind of frozen, and I was shocked. At kind of just be the overall audacity to do this right, right beside me,’ Garcia told NBC News.
It is unclear whether Megan was aware that Garcia was in the same vehicle at the time of the incident.
Garcia also alleges that Megan fat-shamed him, calling him a ‘fat bitch’ and instructing him to ‘spit [his] food out’ because ‘you don’t need to be eating.’
He expressed feeling degraded, particularly because Megan promotes body positivity. Garcia's employment with Roc Nation was terminated in June 2023, which he believes was in retaliation for his complaints about labor and wage violations.
Ron Zambrano, Garcia's attorney, stated, ‘Megan needs to pay our client what he’s due, take responsibility for her behavior, and stop engaging in sexual harassment and fat-shaming. Emilio should never have been put in a position of having to be in the vehicle with her while she had sex with another woman. 'Inappropriate’ is an understatement. Exposing this behavior to employees is definitely illegal.’
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