A former Yeezy LLC employee has amended her lawsuit against both her former employer and The Gap LLC with accusations of retaliations and workplace violations that took place during her tenure, according to court documents.
Plaintiff Maya Stewart alleges that during her tenure as an accessories developer in 2021, she suffered retaliation in the form of her hourly pay being reduced from $60 to $50 an hour after she began to complain about meal and rest break violations, in addition to not having been compensated for business-related expenses and working overtime. The plaintiff alleges that her continued complaints eventually led to her termination.
Stewart is suing the two corporations in the Los Angeles Superior Court for $1.3 Million in compensatory damages, $2 Million in punitive damages and $500,000 in attorney fees, along with a payment allocated to past and future pay in the amount of $300,000.
Stewart claims that the June 2021 invoice she submitted for overtime hours worked has not been paid. Yeezy LLC has yet to comment on the lawsuit, but The Gap has denied any involvement in Stewart’s allegations and directed the blame towards Yeezy founder Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The Gap seeks to be removed as a defendant from the lawsuit, with Stewart paying their legal fees.
The lawsuit comes after the Yeezy-Gap apparel line, which was announced in 2020 to last for a decade, came to an end in September 2022 after Ye terminated the two brands’ agreement citing a breach of contract.
Adidas, which recently terminated their nine-year partnership with the Ye in light of numerous anti-Semetic remarks the rapper made last year, is also being sued by shareholders who claim the company failed to properly advise them of the musician’s “problematic behavior.”