Kim Kardashian Reportedly Sued By Former Workers For Unpaid Wages, Harsh Working Conditions, Claims Of Child Labor Violations
We all know Kim Kardashian is a bad b**ch! She’s the reigning queen of reality TV, taking the fashion world by storm and influencing millions with a simple selfie on the 'Gram, but is she a bad boss? A new lawsuit accuses the KUWTK star of some shady behavior.
Seven former members of Kardashian’s gardening and maintenance crew — that help maintain the grounds of her lavish $60 million Hidden Hills mansion — are suing the Skims founder, alleging she failed to pay proper wages and overtime, failed to make sure they received breaks throughout the workday and even claiming she violated child labor laws by having "multiple underage minors" working on the premises.
The suit, filed Monday in Los Angeles, alleges that Kardashian was late with the plaintiffs pay, withheld 10 percent of their wages for taxes — then failed to forward that money to the government.
The plaintiffs also claim they didn't receive itemized pay stubs (to see exactly how much they were earning, taxes taken out, etc.), and one 16-year-old former employee alleges he was forced to work far beyond the maximum 48 hours allowed under law for an underage summer employee.
Another ex-employee claims that after he brought up the unfair working conditions and shady practices, he was immediately fired.
The workers are being represented by Frank Kim of law firm Kim Legal. In a statement on Monday, Kim alluded that more lawsuits against the rich who often abuse the system may be looming.
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"Wage theft and other workplace violations are a widespread problem in Los Angeles. My firm is currently investigating other potential violations against these defendants, as well as other powerful families and businesses on behalf of everyday workers," Kim told the Daily Mail, who was the first to report the suit.
A rep for the KKW Beauty founder shut down the claims, insisting Kardashian had no knowledge of the worker’s treatment. "These workers were hired and paid through a third-party vendor hired by Kim to provide ongoing services," her rep told Page Six in a statement. "Kim is not party to the agreement made between the vendor and their workers, therefore she is not responsible for how the vendor manages their business and the agreements they have made directly with their staff."
The statement continued: "Kim has never not paid a vendor for their services and hopes that the issue between these workers and the vendor who hired them can be amicably resolved soon."
A pal close to mother-of-four backed up her rep’s claims, saying: "She does not have a history of not paying her bills on time — never has and never will. She takes a lot of pride in paying people on time for their work so this issue has nothing to do with her and these workers are suing the wrong person."
The source added that "the lawyer for the employees was very careful not to include Kim’s name in his statement," they continued in their defense of the 40-year-old E! star. “Or directly mention any claims against her, because he knows these employees never worked directly for Kim, only through a third-party vendor."
