Emilio Garcia (Megan’s personal cameraman) says he was “mortified” when Megan Thee Stallion allegedly engaged in sexual contact with a woman while next to him in a moving vehicle in Spain, hostile work environment harassment and various labor-law violations.
The lawsuit alleges that MTS — whose legal name is Megan Pete — had sex with a woman riding in an SUV in Europe with two other passengers and her and the cameraman, Emilio Garcia. The lawsuit also alleges that the singer fat-shamed the cameraman, saying things to him such as “You don’t need to be eating” and “Spit your food out.”
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Additional plaintiffs include management company Roc Nation, Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment Inc., Hot Girl Touring LLC and 10 unnamed people.
Along with harassment and a hostile work environment, the legal filing alleged other labor law violations that included failure to provide meal and rest breaks as required by law, requiring unpaid overtime and unpaid waiting time, providing incorrect wage statements, failing to prevent or remedy the harassment, and retaliation.
“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” Alex Spiro, Pete’s attorney, said Tuesday via her publicist. “We will deal with this in court.”
Roc Nation did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
Garcia alleges that his September 2023 firing was in retaliation for his ongoing complaints about labor violations and pay issues.
When Pete allegedly had sex in the SUV, the lawsuit says, Garcia was “embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal.” He “could not get out of the car as it was both moving and he was in the middle of nowhere” in Ibiza, Spain, it says.
The next day, the lawsuit alleges, Pete asked Garcia if he was in the SUV the night before and then told him, “Don’t ever discuss what you saw.”
The lawsuit alleges that Garcia was misclassified as an independent contractor as of late 2019, when he started working for Pete full time as a personal cameraman and she directed or controlled his work environment and the work he performed.
Garcia regularly worked more than 50 hours a week, initially for a flat rate, the lawsuit says, and Pete contacted him “at all hours” about work. Then, in August 2022, Roc Nation changed his pay structure to a fee-for-service setup where, the lawsuit says, Garcia was still working at all hours doing various tasks but getting paid “significantly less, as the invoiced amounts did not accurately reflect the true time and effort” required to work for the performer.
“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,” plaintiff’s attorney Ron Zambrano, a partner at West Coast Employment Lawyers, said Tuesday in a statement. “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.”
Garcia is asking for unpaid wages, statutory labor-related penalties, interest, punitive damages and legal fees.
Source: Los Angeles Times