Kanye West Slams Former Yeezy Employee's Sexual Harassment Suit As 'Baseless'
By Afouda Bamidele on June 5, 2024 at 9:45 AM EDT
Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, is firing back at the sexual harassment lawsuit brought against him. The rapper has vehemently dismissed the allegations by his former employee, labeling the lawsuit as entirely "baseless."
Apart from the sexual harassment allegation, Lauren Pisciotta also accused Kanye West of failing to pay a promised severance package upon her termination.
Kanye West Denounces Lawsuit Filed By Former Assistant Lauren Pisciotta
Pisciotta alleged the rapper engaged in inappropriate behavior, including masturbating in front of her and sending explicit videos and messages before terminating her employment.
In the legal suit, Pisciotta filed claims against Ye for breach of contract, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and creating a hostile work environment.
According to her, she was fired in October 2022 and offered a $3 million severance package, which she accepted but has yet to receive.
In response, West's legal team labeled the accusations as "baseless." They also announced plans to counter-sue Pisciotta, accusing her of blackmail and extortion. According to their statement to ET:
"She was terminated for being unqualified, demanding unreasonable sums of money (including a $4 million annual salary) and numerous documented incidents of her lascivious, unhinged conduct."
Pisciotta's Transition To Kanye West's Executive Assistant
Pisciotta's recent lawsuit against Kanye West added to a growing list of legal challenges for the rapper.
The Blast shared that Pisciotta's lawsuit outlines that around July 2021, she was asked to serve as West's Executive Assistant/Personal Assistant, managing both his business and personal affairs.
Before this role, the ex-assistant had collaborated creatively with Ye on the Yeezy Season I women's fashion line and contributed three songs to "Donda," his 2021 10th studio album.
Impressed by her previous work, the lawsuit claimed that Ye "agreed on a salary for Ms. Pisciotta of $1,000,000 per year," requiring her to be available around the clock. She accepted the offer and the demanding schedule.
Social Media And OnlyFans Involvement
The lawsuit also claimed that Ye was "aware" of Pisciotta's significant social media presence, which included an Instagram account and an OnlyFans account managed by an independent company.
He initially had no objections to her online activities and even reportedly bragged to friends about her success on OnlyFans, calling her an "OnlyFans Superstar."
Pisciotta's social media content included "professional bikini and lingerie photographs as a result of professional and tasteful photoshoots."
However, in August 2022, Ye allegedly asked her to be "God-like" and demanded she delete her OnlyFans account, promising to pay her $1,000,000 if she complied.
Pisciotta agreed and gave up her OnlyFans earnings, but the Yeezy founder allegedly never fulfilled his promise
Explicit Messages Kanye West Allegedly Sent To Pisciotta
According to the court documents, Pisciotta received a series of explicit text messages from Ye. In one message, the rapper allegedly wrote:
"See my problem is I be wanting to f-ck but then after I f-ck I want a girl to tell me how hard they been f-cked while I'm f-cking them. Then I want her to cheat on me ..."
Another alleged message from Ye read, "Is my d-ck racist? It is. Thisf-cking racist d-ck of mine. I going to beat this f-cking racist d-ck for being f-cking racist. I'm going to stare at pictures of white woman with black as--es and beat the sh-t out of my racist -ck ... Beating the h-t out of his big black c-ck."
Pisciotta's lawsuit claimed that Ye not only sent these explicit messages but also m-sturbated in front of her. She further alleged that he overshared intimate sexual details, including photos, texts, and videos of sex acts.
These included "without limitation acts that [Ye] was engaged in and other pictures and videos of Instagram models, current and former YEEZY, LLC employees and various men and women."
Ye's Manager, Abou 'Bu' Thiam Faced Assault And Battery Lawsuit
While Kanye West is facing controversies, it extended to his manager Thiam, who also got entangled in legal trouble following allegations of assault.
Court documents obtained by The Blast revealed that a woman named London Knight filed a lawsuit against Thiam in the Superior Court of California. Knight accused Thiam of physically assaulting her "on or about May 2, 2022."
While the specifics of what triggered the incident remain unclear, Knight alleged the altercation occurred at a public event. According to her, Thiam reached for her phone and shouted aggressively, "I don't give a f-ck; you don't know who I am."
Knight recounted trying to escape by moving towards security, but Thiam allegedly grabbed at her left arm and took her bag. She described feeling "startled" and "scared" following the incident.
The lawsuit asserted that Thiam "intended to cause and did cause harmful contact" without Knight's consent. The physical and emotional impact led Knight to seek medical attention from "physicians and surgeons for medical examination, treatment, and care of these injuries."