Washington [US], February 12 : Rapper Kanye West is facing a lawsuit filed by a former Yeezy employee, who alleges that the rapper made disturbing and abusive comments during her time at the company, including comparing himself to Adolf Hitler and making threats against her due to her Jewish heritage.
The employee, identified as Jane Doe, claims she was subjected to constant psychological torment and harassment and was wrongfully terminated after reporting his behaviour, according to People magazine.
Doe's lawsuit was filed on February 11, 2024, in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County. According to the complaint, Doe began working for Yeezy as a marketing specialist in late 2023, shortly after West issued an apology to the Jewish community for a series of antisemitic remarks, as per People magazine.
However, the lawsuit alleges that West's apology was short-lived, and he began a calculated campaign to harass and psychologically torment Jewish people around him, especially Doe.
As per People magazine, the lawsuit details a series of troubling incidents involving West's conduct. West allegedly began referring to himself as "Hitler" and a "Nazi" and reportedly threatened Doe because of her Jewish background.
He also allegedly made derogatory comments about her appearance, calling her a "bi**h" and "ugly" while spewing hate speech against her religion, as per People magazine.
In January 2024, as West's album Vultures Vol 1 faced backlash for cover art resembling Nazi symbolism, Doe reportedly urged a colleague that West should openly denounce any associations with Nazism to address the negative attention.
According to the lawsuit reported by People magazine, West responded via text, saying, "I Am A Nazi."
In another disturbing incident, the lawsuit claims West sent a nude photo to a group chat that included Doe. The filing states that Doe felt uncomfortable and unsettled by the image, but she attempted to ignore it and continue working through the environment of "constant degradation of women" that West allegedly fostered.
The harassment continued throughout early 2024. On June 4, 2024, West allegedly sent a message to Doe and other Jewish employees, writing, "Welcome to the first day of working for Hitler."
As per People magazine, according to the complaint, West then removed Doe and two other Jewish employees from the group chat, only to add them back in with a derogatory message: "F--- both of you."
Doe reported West's comments to her supervisor and provided screenshots of the messages as evidence.
The following day, West allegedly used his wife Bianca Censori's phone to further insult Doe, calling her a "heartless sociopath," comparing her to an OnlyFans model, and telling her to "shut the f--- up bi**h."
In another exchange, West allegedly wrote a Nazi-like greeting in a group chat, following a string of profane messages.
The lawsuit claims West's message, which referenced the controversial "deathcon" phrase, was a direct threat toward Doe.
West had previously used the term in a 2022 tweet, in which he said, "I'm a bit sleepy tonight but when I wake up I'm going death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE...," as per People magazine.
The following day, June 5, 2024, Doe was terminated by email. The lawsuit claims the firing was retaliatory, occurring shortly after she reported West's alleged misconduct.
Doe's complaint includes various claims against West, including discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
She is suing for damages exceeding USD 35,000 and is seeking a jury trial, as per People magazine.
The lawsuit arrives amid ongoing controversy surrounding West's behavior. Recently, the rapper made headlines after a Super Bowl ad promoting his Yeezy brand, which featured T-shirts adorned with swastikas.
His website, Yeezy, was also shut down after selling the offensive merchandise. Shopify, which hosted the site, stated that the product violated their terms of service, as per People magazine.
In response to his actions, West was dropped by his management team and has faced widespread backlash across various platforms.