Megan Thee Stallion accused of harassment in lawsuit by cameraman

LOS ANGELES — A former cameraman for Megan Thee Stallion who alleges that he was trapped inside a transferring automobile with the hip-hop star in another country whereas she had intercourse with a lady has filed a lawsuit accusing the entertainer of harassment and a hostile work atmosphere. 

Emilio Garcia mentioned in the go well with filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom that after the alleged incident he was warned, “don’t ever focus on what you noticed,” and berated, fat-shamed and handled in a different way by Megan. 

The “harassment was so extreme or pervasive” that it created a “hostile, abusive work atmosphere” that made Garcia’s “working situations insupportable,” the go well with mentioned.

“That is an employment declare for cash — with no sexual harassment declare filed and with salacious accusations to try to embarrass her. We are going to take care of this in court docket,” an legal professional for Megan Thee Stallion, Alex Spiro, mentioned Tuesday.

Representatives for Roc Nation didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Garcia started working for Megan Thee Stallion, whose actual identify is Megan Pete, as a private cameraman in 2018, stop his job in 2019 to pursue the gig with the Grammy winner full time and labored for her till June 2023, the lawsuit acknowledged.

Garcia mentioned within the lawsuit that he traveled with Megan to Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022 and that whereas in an SUV with Megan and three different girls after an evening out, Megan and one of many girls started to have intercourse subsequent to him within the transferring automotive.

“I felt uncomfortable. I used to be form of frozen, and I used to be shocked. At form of simply be the general audacity to do that proper, proper beside me,” Garcia advised NBC Information in an interview. 

The next day, the rapper requested Garcia whether or not he was within the automotive with them the evening earlier than, and when he confirmed he was, Megan advised him: “Don’t ever focus on what you noticed,” the go well with states. 

Garcia’s mentioned in his go well with that in the identical journey, Megan hurled fat-shaming insults at him, calling him a “fats bitch” and telling him to “spit your meals out” and “you don’t have to be consuming.”

“To listen to somebody who advocates about loving your physique inform me this stuff,” Garcia mentioned within the interview, “I felt degraded.”

After they returned from the journey, Garcia mentioned within the lawsuit, his compensation construction was modified from a month-to-month flat-rate to a pay-per-task system that required him to submit invoices for every task. 

He mentioned he was anticipated to offer the identical providers regardless of the pay construction change, however alleges that he was handled in a different way following the Ibiza journey and noticed a lower in bookings Megan employed him to do. 

Garcia started to think about quitting the job due to Megan’s “possessiveness mixed with a scarcity of applicable pay for the period of time requested of him” and a scarcity of bookings, the go well with states.

Garcia remained on the schedule for a June 2023 job, however the evening earlier than, Roc Nation notified him that “his providers would not be required” by Megan, in accordance with the lawsuit. 

Whereas working for Megan, Garcia “endured a barrage of relentless sexual and fat-shaming feedback plunging him into profound emotional misery,” the go well with mentioned.

“What I discovered all through the years is that, particularly coming from an from an workplace atmosphere, is you recognize, there’s no HR division within the leisure enterprise,” Garcia advised NBC Information in an interview. “So for those who don’t know that you simply’re being accomplished unsuitable, you don’t actually know the right way to advocate for your self till you begin asking perhaps you begin asking your friends who’ve illustration, they’ve brokers, they’ve administration, they’ve legal professional. So I simply actually simply wish to encourage folks to advocate for themselves.”

The alleged conduct prompted Garcia to face a loss in earnings and different employment advantages, in addition to bodily accidents, bodily illness and emotional misery, in accordance with the lawsuit.  

The go well with states that whereas working for the entertainer, he was with out fundamental insurance coverage protection and due to this fact couldn’t get the care he wanted. Now, he “grapples with mounting anxiousness, melancholy, and bodily misery stemming from the poisonous work atmosphere,” in accordance with the go well with. 

“Megan simply must pay our consumer what he’s due, come clean with her conduct and stop this type of sexual harassment and fats shaming conduct,” Ron Zambrano, an legal professional for Garcia, mentioned in an announcement to NBC Information. “Emilio ought to by no means have been put able of getting to be within the automobile along with her whereas she had intercourse with one other girl. ‘Inappropriate’ is placing it evenly. Exposing this conduct to staff is certainly unlawful.”

Garcia’s lawsuit additionally outlines alleged employment and wage violations that middle on his classification as an impartial contractor. 

The lawsuit alleges that Megan prohibited him from working for anybody else and was denied time beyond regulation pay and breaks. 

His misclassification as an impartial contractor “left him with out fundamental insurance coverage protection, depriving him of important well being care,” the go well with mentioned. 

Garcia advised NBC Information in an interview that he’s in search of greater than six figures. The go well with seeks unpaid wages, in addition to curiosity on the unpaid wages, unpaid time beyond regulation wages and different worker advantages on the authorized charge. He’s additionally in search of statutory penalties and wage penalties pursuant to California labor legal guidelines, punitive damages in accordance with proof and prices he incurred, together with attorneys’ charges. 

Diana Dasrath reported from Los Angeles and Rebecca Cohen reported from New York.