Kanye West sued by former Donda Academy employee claiming workplace abuses
August Brown April 2, 2024
A former employee
ofsued
sued the mega star, megastar
, his Yeezy apparel brand and his Los Angeles-area school, claiming discrimination, a hostile work environment, whistleblower retaliation and unsafe working conditions, among other allegations.
Trevor Phillips, a former employee of Yeezy and Donda Academy, sued West in Los Angeles
County Superior Courtcourt
on Tuesday,
April 2
claiming that once Phillips pushed back against Kanyes bigotry and instructions to violate the law Kanye responded mercilessly, with incessant harassment, humiliation, and attempts to both mentally control, and destroy, Phillips. … Kanye even threatened Phillips with physical violence.
A representative for West who now goes by Ye could not be
reachedlocated
for comment.
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Phillips claims in
t
he suit that he began working for Wests Yeezy apparel brand in 2022, overseeing projects related to growing cotton and other plants to use as materials in the Yeezy clothing lines, with goals to eventually create a self-sustainable Yeezy community.
But soon after Wests now-infamous antisemitic tirades in October of that year, West’s business partners cut ties, and Phillips was brought on to work for Donda Academy. He said he overheard Kanye tell students at Donda Academy,
whichwhere
Phillips’ own child and younger brother attended, that 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 further claimed in the suit that Hitler was a frequent theme around the office, where he alleged West would say HITLER WAS GREAT. Hitler was an innovator! He invented so many things. Hes the reason we have cars. He also recalled West saying that 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 dont have children for population control.
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Phillips claims that West showed nude photos of his sex partners to employees and ordered Phillips to do dangerous electrical work and other renovations at Donda Academy without any construction experience or permits. He said West fired
at and
re
–
hired him seemingly at
randomwhim
, and that after West confronted him about a garden project, West told him I was going to punch you in the face as he screamed at Phillips in front of dozens of staff
members
and schoolchildren.
Phillips is seeking
an unspecified amount of
damages in excess of $35,000, according to the complaint.
The suit comes as West attempts to revive his music career after years of hate speech and incendiary behavior. His collaboration with Ty Dolla Sign, “Vultures 1,” topped the Billboard album and singles charts. West most recently performed at the Rolling Loud festival in Inglewood, where his set earned mixed reviews.
