Megan Thee Stallion’s former personal cameraman is taking the Grammy winner and Mean Girls actress and Roc Nation to court for creating an “intolerable” and “hostile abusive work environment.”
In a nine-claim complaint filed today in Los Angeles Superior Court, Emilio Garcia is accusing Megan Pete (Thee Stallion’s real name), her own company, her Hot Girl Touring and the Jay-Z founded entertainment platform of underpaying him, misclassifying him and causing “severe emotional distress and anxiety” due to overwork almost since the moment he started working for the “Plan” B singer in July 2018 (read the whole complaint here).
In particular, it seems an alleged explicit incident in the back of a moving car almost two years ago that proved the final straw – for all concerned:
On or around June 2022, PLAINTIFF was traveling on tour with STALLION in Ibiza, Spain. After a night out, PLAINTIFF, STALLION, and three other women were riding in a SUV together. Suddenly, STALLION and one of the other women start having sex right beside PLAINTIFF. PLAINTIFF could not get out of the car as it was both moving and he was in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country. PLAINTIFF was embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal.
The following day, STALLION inquired whether PLAINTIFF was in the SUV the previous night. PLAINTIFF confirmed that he was in the SUV. Subsequently, STALLION instructed, “Don’t ever discuss what you saw.” STALLION berated and directed her fat-shaming comments towards PLAINTIFF such as “Fat Bitch,” “Spit your food out,” and that “You don’t need to be eating.”
After confiding in the Makeup Artist, STALLION learned of the PLAINTIFF’s contemplation of quitting due to STALLION’s possessiveness combined with lack of appropriate pay for the amount of time asked of him (as discussed fully below. Later that night, STALLION drunkenly FaceTimed the PLAINTIFF and, after Plaintiff expressed his belief he was being underpaid for the amount of hours actually asked of him, they reached an “understanding,” with STALLION affirming, “We’re good.”
Despite the conversation, PLAINTIFF remained scheduled for STALLION’s upcoming gig the following Friday.
Nevertheless, on or around June 2023, ROC NATION unexpectedly reached out to PLAINTIFF the night before the scheduled Friday gig and informed him that his services would no longer be required by STALLION.
While the claimed backseat copulation undoubtedly will get most of the attention out of Garcia’s suit, it is the labor violations that make up the bulk of the jury trial-seeking filing. For instance, amid late-night calls and TikTok consultations, Garica’s West Coast Employment Lawyers noted that “STALLION specifically told Plaintiff he was not allowed to service any other client other than herself on more than one occasion.”
Garcia also alleges that he went from a $4,000 a month salary during his first few years working for Stallion and Roc Nation to suddenly being cut to a much lower “pay-per-task system invoiced for each assignment” even though his 50 hours and more workflow stayed the same.
“Megan just needs to pay our client what he’s due, own up to her behavior and quit this sort of sexual harassment and fat-shaming conduct,” Garica’s attorney Ron Zambrano asserts. “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 putting it lightly. Exposing this behavior to employees is definitely illegal.”
Stallion’s attorney tells Deadline this whole thing is shakedown.
“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” says Alex Spiro. “We will deal with this in court.”
If that name seems familiar to you, it’s because the Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan partner was not only one of Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys for a while but is also on Alec Baldwin‘s defense team for the involuntary manslaughter charges the multi-Emmy winner is facing in New Mexico over the October 2021 killing of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. While fighting to get the latest charges against the indie Western star/producer thrown out, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan and local lawyers are up against a July 9 trial start date for Baldwin.
Alec BaldwinGetty Images
On the other side of the case, you might recognize Zambrano and West Coast Employment Lawyers from their work representing several of former Lizzo’s tour dancers in their sexual harassment, discrimination and illegal retaliatory termination lawsuit against the Grammy winner.
Filed in LASC last August, Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez claim they were made to go Parisian sex clubs with Lizzo. The trio are also say they were body-shamed, put through an “excruciating” audition for their own jobs after they were accused of drinking on the clock and held to prohibitive “soft hold” retainers. Lizzo has called the claims out as “sensationalized stories.” Represented by Marty Singer’s firm, Lizzo has tried to have the action — which is now one of many — dismissed. While she hasn’t succeed at that, Lizzo has seen the suit trimmed, somewhat.
Now facing Garcia’s suit for a variety of unspecified damages, Megan Thee Stallion is set to go out on the road this summer. The 31-date Hot Girl Summer Tour kicks off May 14 in Minneapolis and ends on July 27 in Washington, D.C.
