Kat Von D Accused Of Illegally Running Tattoo Shop During COVID-19 Lockdown

Kat Von D is being sued by an ex-employee accusing her of running her famous L.A. tattoo parlor illegally during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to legal documents, obtained by The Blast, a former shop manager for the 'High Voltage Tattoo'parlor in Los Angeles is accusing the famous reality star of letting her go after she refused to work in an environment that didn't meet state and local guidelines for COVID-19.

In the lawsuit, Stephanie Davidson claims after the government ordered tattoo shops to close as a part of the effort to curb the surging virus, "High Voltage Tattoo requested [her] to work illegally in violation of the Stay at Home orders." The woman says she is a Type 1 diabetic and is more likely to get severely ill from Coronavirus due to her underlying condition.

Davidson claims she refused to return to work due to the shop "operation in violation of the Health Orders" and received a text message from Kat Von D calling Governor Gavin Newsom an "idi-t."

"We can start tattooing our clients privately in the meantime until our idiot governor lifts this ridiculous lockdown. Today the barbershop is open for business and I don’t understand why we are unable to open. So I cannot stand by and let high voltage die, and need to get back to work even if it’s just for appointments for the time being," the text allegedly read.

Davidson claims she responded to the message, saying, "I’m just not comfortable going back before we are legally approved to do so. Because I am a type 1 diabetic I am forced to take extra precautions because I am at much higher risk for complications and death if I do catch anything."

In the lawsuit, Stephanie claims Kat Von D continued to "question whether the pandemic was real" and cited articles she stated would provide "a clear understanding of the truth in a world where we are bombarded with so much fear and misinformation."

In April of 2020, Governor Newsom announced plans to reopen businesses in California, but "high risk" establishments -- like tattoo shops -- were not on the list for the first wave.

The former manager claims KVD planned to "open privately" against the orders, and she was reluctant to return due to her illness and activity that would result in a violation of local and state rules and regulations. Also, she says Kat told the employees she refused to wear a mask, saying, "please know that I will not be wearing masks and refuse to do so," claiming it was "completely unconstitutional -- for example force contact tracing -- all of which I will not abide by."

Davidson further claims Von D said, "When we re-open that all of us will be in hazmat suits wearing gloves outside of the times we tattoo. This is just not going to happen. And the science and data show that these precautions are completely useless." Adding, she will not force clients to take safety precautions against their will.

Along with the non-compliance, Davidson claims Von D made "disparaging remarks" about the decision to wear masks saying things along the line of "You're going to wear a maxi pad on your face?" and criticized the decision saying we live in a "state of fear-based on mainstream media narrative."

In the end, Davidson reported the violations to Governor Newsome's office, along with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Two weeks later, the manager says she was "terminated" from her position after being told there was no job for someone working from home since it was a tattoo shop. Davidson claims she is "devastated by losing her job and livelihood" and "while she has attempted to obtain employment, she has been unable to find consistent employment since then and continues to suffer lost income. She also suffered and continues to suffer ongoing emotional distress as a result of her termination."

Stephanie Davidson is suing Kat Von D for wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation by firing her for reporting the COVID-19 violations.

Kat Von D has yet to respond to the lawsuit. The case is ongoing.