Kim Kardashian sued by former workers who say they weren’t properly paid or given breaks
National Post Staff
Kim Kardashian is being sued by seven former workers who say they weren’t paid on time or given meal breaks, and that she refused to pay them overtime
The former staffers worked at the Kardashian’s mansion in the gated community of Hidden Hills, which is estimated to be worth $72.7 million (US $60 million).
Andrew Ramirez; his brother, Christopher Ramirez, and son Andrew Ramirez Jr.; Aron Cabrea; Rene Ernesto Flores; Jesse Fernandez and Robert Araiza, say that Kardashian withheld 10 per cent of their wages for taxes, but never handed the amount over to the tax authorities.
“Plaintiffs never received any pay stubs, were not paid on regular periods, were not given their required meal and rest breaks, were not provided a means to record all their hours, were not paid all their hours, were not reimbursed for employment expenses, were not paid all their overtime wages, and were not paid their wages upon termination of employment,” states the lawsuit.
It’s also alleged that one of the employees, who was 16-years-old at the time, had worked longer than the maximum amount of hours allowed for minors under the state’s labour code , which is 48 hours per week.
One of the men also claims that when he approached Kardashian, to inquire “about his rights as an employee,” he was fired.
In April, Forbes reported that Kardashian was “ officially a billionaire ,” saying that her lucrative beauty and shapewear companies, KKW beauty and SKIMS; reality TV and endorsement deals were responsible for the rise in her net worth — which was up from $944 million (US $780 million) in October. That same month, the New York Times reported that SKIMS “defies the pandemic,” after its value rose to $1.93 billion (US $1.6 billion).
A spokesperson for Kardashian told Page Six that the workers had been employed by and paid through a third-party vendor, which the 40-year-old businesswoman had hired to provide services.
“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,” they said. “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.”
The seven plaintiffs are being represented by Frank Kim of Los-Angeles-based Kim Legal, who is also representing over 500 performers in a lawsuit against Kardashian’s estranged husband Kanye West.
Filed last summer, the lawsuit alleges performers in West’s Sunday Service shows had been mistreated, with one saying he was not permitted meal or restroom breaks, according to Page Six
In a statement to the Daily Mail on Monday, Kim said that “wage theft and other workplace violations” are a widespread problem in Los Angeles, adding: “My firm is currently investigating other potential violations against these defendants, as well as other powerful families and businesses on behalf of everyday workers.”
A 2014 report from the Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft said that low-wage workers in the city lost more than $31.7 million (US $26.2 million) per week as a result of wage theft violations, and that Los Angeles had the “distinction of wage theft capital” of the United States.
National Post Staff
Kim Kardashian is being sued by seven former workers who say they weren’t paid on time or given meal breaks, and that she refused to pay them overtime
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© Provided by National Post Kim Kardashian attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 92nd Oscars at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on February 9, 2020.
In the lawsuit, which was filed on Monday and obtained by the Daily Mail , seven members of Kardashian’s gardening and maintenance staff accuse the reality TV star and businesswoman of violations of California labour law.
The former staffers worked at the Kardashian’s mansion in the gated community of Hidden Hills, which is estimated to be worth $72.7 million (US $60 million).
Andrew Ramirez; his brother, Christopher Ramirez, and son Andrew Ramirez Jr.; Aron Cabrea; Rene Ernesto Flores; Jesse Fernandez and Robert Araiza, say that Kardashian withheld 10 per cent of their wages for taxes, but never handed the amount over to the tax authorities.
“Plaintiffs never received any pay stubs, were not paid on regular periods, were not given their required meal and rest breaks, were not provided a means to record all their hours, were not paid all their hours, were not reimbursed for employment expenses, were not paid all their overtime wages, and were not paid their wages upon termination of employment,” states the lawsuit.
It’s also alleged that one of the employees, who was 16-years-old at the time, had worked longer than the maximum amount of hours allowed for minors under the state’s labour code , which is 48 hours per week.
One of the men also claims that when he approached Kardashian, to inquire “about his rights as an employee,” he was fired.
In April, Forbes reported that Kardashian was “ officially a billionaire ,” saying that her lucrative beauty and shapewear companies, KKW beauty and SKIMS; reality TV and endorsement deals were responsible for the rise in her net worth — which was up from $944 million (US $780 million) in October. That same month, the New York Times reported that SKIMS “defies the pandemic,” after its value rose to $1.93 billion (US $1.6 billion).
A spokesperson for Kardashian told Page Six that the workers had been employed by and paid through a third-party vendor, which the 40-year-old businesswoman had hired to provide services.
“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,” they said. “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.”
The seven plaintiffs are being represented by Frank Kim of Los-Angeles-based Kim Legal, who is also representing over 500 performers in a lawsuit against Kardashian’s estranged husband Kanye West.
Filed last summer, the lawsuit alleges performers in West’s Sunday Service shows had been mistreated, with one saying he was not permitted meal or restroom breaks, according to Page Six
In a statement to the Daily Mail on Monday, Kim said that “wage theft and other workplace violations” are a widespread problem in Los Angeles, adding: “My firm is currently investigating other potential violations against these defendants, as well as other powerful families and businesses on behalf of everyday workers.”
A 2014 report from the Los Angeles Coalition Against Wage Theft said that low-wage workers in the city lost more than $31.7 million (US $26.2 million) per week as a result of wage theft violations, and that Los Angeles had the “distinction of wage theft capital” of the United States.
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