Kanye West faces sexual harassment lawsuit filed by ex-assistant
US rapper Kanye West attends the WSJ Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at MOMA on Nov. 6, 2019, in New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss/AFP)
Lauren Pisciotta, former assistant of Kanye West, alleges that the rapper sent her explicit messages and even touched himself in front of her while they were on a flight.
Pisciotta sued West for sexual harassment, breach of contract and wrongful termination, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
She also filed complaints against the rapper and his Yeezy companies for fraud, unpaid wages, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Prior to being West’s assistant, Pisciotta said she collaborated with him on one of his Yeezy women’s fashion lines and on his “Donda” album. She was then hired by West in 2021 with a $1-million annual salary, under the condition that she would be available to him “24/7.”
In 2022, West then allegedly asked Pisciotta—who was earning $1 million annually from her OnlyFans account—to delete her account in exchange for $1 million, to which she agreed. It was after then that the sexual harassment of the rapper allegedly started.
Among Pisciotta’s claims were that West sent him text messages about his private part, videos of himself having sex, and even queries about the private parts of Pisciotta’s partners. She further alleged that there were times when the rapper masturbated while on the phone with her for work-related matters.
Also stated in the lawsuit was an incident that allegedly happened while they were on an overnight flight to Paris. Pisciotta said West asked to talk to her, then trapped her with him in a room on the plane. West then allegedly touched himself while lying on a bed, all while she was sitting on a chair across from him.
Pisciotta was then promoted to Chief of Staff for his various companies around September 2022, but was allegedly fired a month later. She said she was promised a $3-million severance package but which she claimed to not have received.
‘Baseless allegations’
West, whose legal name is Ye, denied Pisciotta’s claims through a statement sent by his lawyers to Page Six.
“In response to these baseless allegations, Ye will be filing a lawsuit against Ms. Pisciotta. Prior to her termination as an assistant, Ms. Pisciotta stole his cell phone in an attempt to destroy phone records that would contradict her claims, all of which have been preserved,” the statement said.
“She was terminated for being unqualified, demanding unreasonable sums of money (including a $4 million annual salary) and numerous documented incidents of her lascivious, unhinged conduct,” it added.
West’s legal team further claimed that Pisciotta sent him unsolicited nude images, sexual narratives, and offered to have a sex with her on his birthday, which he “declined.”
They added that Pisciotta’s behavior is “entirely inconsistent with someone who claims to have been sexually harassed or experienced a hostile work environment.”
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