Kim Kardashian West Denies Workers’ Claims That She Underpaid Them
Kardashian West is facing a civil action lawsuit from seven domestic workers who claim they were underpaid and weren’t allowed to take legally mandated breaks while working for her.
Kim Kardashian West has denied the allegation that she underpaid her workers and pointed to a third-party vendor as the culprit. Kardashian West is facing a civil action lawsuit from seven domestic workers who claim they were underpaid and weren’t allowed to take legally mandated breaks while working at Kardashian West’s Hidden Hills home in California.
In an Instagram Q&A on Wednesday, someone asked Kardashian West, “do you pay ur employees lolz.” The celebrity, whose estimated net worth is $1 billion, wrote back, “Absolutely, I respect people for their time and their hard work and unfortunately these workers are suing the wrong person. I paid the vendor and it’s their job to pay the staff I hope that they are able to get this issue resolved soon.”
Kardashian’s claim about a third-party vendor is similar to what her spokesperson told Page Six. The workers’ lawyer Frank Kim told The Daily Mail: “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 is also reportedly representing former staff and performers in class-action suits against Kanye West.
“These workers were hired and paid through a third-party vendor hired by Kim to provide ongoing 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 and the agreements they have made directly with their staff.”
The workers' lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles County. Among the plaintiffs’ allegations are that they “never received any paystubs,” “were not reimbursed for employment expenses,” and “were not paid their wages upon termination of employment.”
The workers also allege Kardashian West withheld 10% of their pay for taxes, without her actually reporting them to tax authorities as hired employees. According to the suit, the workers are seeking an undisclosed amount that “exceeds $25,000.”