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Ye Tried To Cage Students? Here’s What You Need To Know About The Latest Donda Academy Lawsuit

April 2, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Kanye West, the prolific artist and entrepreneur now known as Ye, finds himself embroiled in yet another legal battle. Trevor Phillips, a former employee of both Yeezy and Donda Academy, has filed a lawsuit against Ye, his apparel brand, and his Los Angeles-area school, per Rolling Stone. The lawsuit is a sprawling document, spanning 42 pages, and alleges a litany of offenses, ranging from discrimination to unsafe working conditions. Let’s delve into the details of why Kanye West is facing legal scrutiny once again.

Allegations Of Discrimination & Hostile Work Environment

ye lawsuit — INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Rapper Kanye West performs onstage during the “Vultures 1” playback concert during Rolling Loud 2024 the at Hollywood Park Grounds on March 14, 2024 in Inglewood. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Phillips, who is Black, claims that from the outset of his employment at Donda Academy, it was evident that Ye treated Black staff significantly worse than their white counterparts. He alleges instances of verbal abuse, with West reportedly screaming and berating Black employees while showing preferential treatment to white staff members. Phillips even stated that Ye openly expressed his preference for solely dating white women.

Threats Of Violence & Retaliation

Perhaps the most alarming accusations in Phillips’ lawsuit revolve around threats of physical violence and whistleblower retaliation. According to the complaint, Phillips faced relentless harassment and humiliation from West after pushing back against what he describes as the artist’s bigotry and unlawful directives. Phillips recounts instances where West allegedly threatened him with physical harm and subjected him to vulgar tirades in front of colleagues and schoolchildren.

Questionable Statements & Behavior

ye donda academy — PARIS, FRANCE – JANUARY 23: Ye attends the Kenzo Fall/Winter 2022/2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 23, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Throughout the lawsuit, Phillips highlights numerous instances of concerning behavior exhibited by Kanye West. These include allegations of antisemitism, with West purportedly praising Adolf Hitler (“HITLER WAS GREAT. Hitler was an innovator! He invented so many things. He’s the reason we have cars,” Ye allegedly said, according to the lawsuit) and espousing conspiracy theories about Jewish people and the LGBTQ+ community. “I am going for the Gays! First the Jews, then the Gays. … Gay people are not true Christians. And Gay people are controlled by Bill Gates so that they don’t have children for population control,” Phillips alleged Ye to have said, according to LA Times. Phillips also claims that Ye made inappropriate remarks in front of Donda Academy students, creating an uncomfortable and potentially harmful environment.

Unsafe Working Conditions & Unlawful Directives

Beyond the allegations of discrimination and harassment, Phillips describes being tasked with dangerous electrical work and renovations at Donda Academy without proper permits or construction experience. He asserts that West’s disregard for safety regulations put employees at risk and further contributed to a hostile work environment. Additionally, Phillips asserts that he overheard West expressing a desire to shave childrens heads. “He wanted them to shave their heads and that he intended to put a jail at the school — and that they could be locked in cages,” Phillips added in the suit.

Legal Ramifications & Seeking Justice

Phillips is seeking damages in excess of $35,000 for what he alleges to be whistleblower retaliation, discrimination based on race, and a hostile workplace, among other causes of action. His lawsuit represents a significant challenge to Kanye West’s reputation and business interests, as it sheds light on troubling practices within his organizations.

In response to these allegations, representatives for Kanye West have not provided comment, leaving the veracity of Phillips’ claims to be determined through legal proceedings. However, the lawsuit underscores broader concerns about workplace culture and accountability, particularly within high-profile celebrity enterprises like those of Kanye West.

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Kanye West Lawsuit From Former Yeezy Employee Might Resolve Soon: Report

February 5, 2024 by newhiphopnews

Kanye West is no stranger to legal trouble of all shapes and sizes, and he actually has a couple of suits against him on the table. One of these is last year’s filing from former Yeezy employe Maya Stewart, who moved against him, Yeezy, and Gap for alleged labor exploitation, wrongful termination, and lack of proper compensation. She claimed she worked 80-hour weeks, sometimes 21 hours in a day, received a pay cut when she complained of shortened breaks and unjust pay, and wasn’t compensated for essential elements of the position she had to get herself. Now, though, Radar Online reports that this may resolve soon.

Moreover, all three parties reportedly outlined a settlement agreement, went to mediation in January of this year, and welcomed a new proposal. Maya Stewart allegedly has a motion to dismiss this case with Kanye West, although details of their common ground are unclear at press time. Both brands hired her in 2021 as their Accessories Developer, but they ended their partnership in 2022. Gap cited no wrongdoings and placed responsibility of Stewart on Yeezy and Ye. This added to other motions against the Chicago artist for both similar or unrelated reasons.

Kanye West Moves Closer To Settlement With Former Yeezy Employee

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Meanwhile, we’re sure that this is of little interest to him right now, considering all his recent movement and antics. With three Vultures volumes reportedly on the way with Ty Dolla $ign, the 46-year-old wants to re-enter public favor with a big splash. Of course, maybe these albums never come out, which would be unsurprising given Kanye West’s faulty track record with promised releases. Still, many fans hope that this won’t just land on digital streaming platforms, but will be a sort of comeback for him.

Whether that will be the case is unclear, but at least the “Back To Me” spitter might heal an old wound soon. For example, Kanye West reposted Jay-Z’s viral 2024 Grammys acceptance speech, one that called out the industry for not recognizing Black artists. Is this a sign that The Throne might take a seat, or just a fleeting acknowledgement? To find out, stay up to date on HNHH.

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Kanye West Reaches Lawsuit Settlement With Ex-Yeezy Employee Over Wage Issues

November 23, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Kanye West isn’t just dropping singles for his upcoming Ty Dolla $ign collab album; he’s also taking care of other long-awaited, but much more important business. Moreover, according to AllHipHop, he settled a lawsuit from former Yeezy employee Taliah Leslie. From what legal documents indicate, the details of this development are still under wraps in the public eye, so we don’t know how they agreed on the matter. For those unaware, back in 2021, Leslie accused the rapper and various company executives of breaking California labor law in matters of employee classification and benefits. After a long battle in court, it seems like this is one less legal headache for Ye.

Furthermore, the alleged violation of these regulations stems from how Yeezy supposedly classified Leslie’s employment status incorrectly. She alleged that higher-ups, including Kanye, restricted employees from certain wages and benefits by inaccurately classifying them as independent contractors. In addition, he allegedly refused to cover obligatory travel to and from Wyoming and France. Other things that the Chicago native failed to reimburse Leslie for, given her claims, are phone bills, Internet bills, and other trip expenses that she needed to spend in order to do her job. This is not the only lawsuit against Kanye from a former employee.

Kanye West At The Yeezy Season 3 Show In 2016

Kanye West Settlement Lawsuit Ex Employee Yeezy Hip Hop News — NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 11: Kanye West performs during Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 on February 11, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3)

Unfortunately for him, this is but a small footnote in the long list of trouble, legal action, and controversy that he must deal with these days. Most recently, that manifested in Kanye West’s apparent altercations with Harley Pasternak, which was one of the oddest stories to come out so far this week. Time will tell whether he’s able to knock off all of these one by one or if other lawsuits will prove more difficult to dismiss. But not even that could change much; after all, the 46-year-old’s return to the public eye hasn’t been the most acclaimed of comebacks.

This reality, paired with other lawsuits concerning Donda Academy and many more, signifies an uphill battle. Perhaps he will turn things around for himself in 2024. Ye has a lot to prove, a lot to repent for, but plenty of resources to fix his wrongs and hopefully learn something in the process. On that note, come back to HNHH for the latest news and updates on Kanye West.

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L.A. Reid Sued By Former Employee For Alleged Sexual Assault: Report

November 9, 2023 by newhiphopnews

Antonio Marquis Reid, colloquially known as L.A., has faced multiple accusations of sexual assault in the past. Now, a former A&R at Arista Records, Drew Dixon, claims that she faced harassment and mistreatment at his hands back in the early 2000s- when he became the record company’s CEO and president- according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone. Moreover, the music executive had left this same position at Epic Records back in 2017 due to other accusations of abuse from Dixon. He launched the careers of the likes of Usher, Avril Lavigne, TLC, Mariah Carey, and plenty of others. This new lawsuit, however, might finally bring about some accountability or clear his name altogether if it’s an untrue accusation.

Furthermore, Dixon filed a lawsuit against L.A. Reid in New York’s Southern District under the Adult Survivors Act. This provides a one-year window for assault victims to bring a civil suit forward past the statute of limitations’ expiration date. This particular window closes on November 24. Specifically, Dixon accused the record producer and acclaimed behind-the-scenes boss of constant harassment and two instances of sexual assault in 2001. During her initial claims in 2017, he released an apology statement for how his words were “misinterpreted.”

L.A. Reid At A Billboard Event

LA Reid Sexual Assault Lawsuit Former Employee Hip Hop News — LA Reid at Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Live held at The Novo on August 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)

“L.A. Reid is a known predator, who uses his singular professional power to force himself on his victims,” Dixon stated, Rolling Stone reports. “In my case, his persistent campaign of sexual harassment and assault forced me to abandon the work I loved. I was at the top of my game in the music business, having worked my way up from internships and a job as a receptionist.” She alleges that the two instances of assault in question were once on a private plane, and another in the back of his car.

Meanwhile, this follows Dixon’s own accusations of sexual assault against Russell Simmons while she was at Def Jam, which is what caused her to go to Arista in the first place. Overall, there are a lot of moving pieces here, and we’ll have to see if this ends up fully resolving if court. If not, then Dixon could face even more scrutiny and blockades in her career and the question of accountability will never truly be answered. For more news and the latest updates on L.A. Reid, come back to HNHH.

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