By Lucy Adautin
Kanye West is facing a lawsuit for sexual harassment, breach of contract, and wrongful termination from his former assistant of two years.
Lauren Pisciotta claims in her lawsuit that West sent her inappropriate texts and engaged in sexual acts during phone calls, according to US media reports. She alleges that she was sacked in 2022 and did not receive a promised $3 million (£2.4 million) severance package.
The BBC says it has reached out to West’s lawyer for comment but has not received a response. The lawsuit was initially reported by TMZ and later confirmed by Rolling Stone, The Wrap, and US Weekly, which noted that court documents were filed on Monday in the US. The BBC has not been able to verify the filing independently.
Pisciotta reportedly met West in 2021 while she was primarily earning income through an OnlyFans profile. She says she was hired to work on the first season of West’s Yeezy women’s fashion line and collaborated on three tracks from his Donda album, although she does not have formal credits on the record.
Subsequently, West hired Pisciotta as his personal assistant with an annual salary of $1 million (£780,000), requiring her to be available “24-7,” a condition she accepted.
Pisciotta’s lawsuit states that West was initially fine with her OnlyFans activity but changed his stance in 2022, offering her $1 million to delete her account and become “God-like.” After she complied, West allegedly sent her explicit messages and pornographic videos, masturbated during phone calls, and once did so in front of her on his plane.
Promoted to Chief of Staff in September 2022, Pisciotta claims she was quickly fired without severance. Her lawsuit includes allegations of sexual harassment, breach of contract, wrongful termination, fraud, unpaid wages, and intentional infliction of emotional distress against West and his Yeezy businesses.
West has faced multiple allegations of lewd behavior. Last November, Yeezy employees claimed he played pornographic films during meetings and showed intimate photos of Kim Kardashian in interviews. He has not responded to these allegations, despite previously admitting to a pornography addiction.
This year, he faced lawsuits for racial discrimination from a former security guard and for unauthorized use of Donna Summer’s song, which was settled out of court. West, a prolific rapper with hits like “Gold Digger” and “Stronger,” has faced recent controversies, including the termination of his Adidas contract over antisemitic remarks. Nevertheless, he topped US charts with his single “Carnival” and album “Vultures.”
