Kanye West Settles Class Action Yeezy Lawsuit Over Employees Alleging Unfair Wages

Over the past few years, Kanye West received various lawsuits about Yeezy, with some being specifically about how he allegedly compensated employees of his brand. While they resulted in a variety of different outcomes, we have a new update on a long-running class action suit over allegedly unpaid wages. Moreover, according to Baller Alert, Ye and Yeezy settled for $625,000 with former employees. According to purported court documents reportedly obtained by In Touch, these funds will contribute to the former workers that this lawsuit represents, their legal fees, and a reserved slice of the pie should any other future accusations or legal claims emerge.

For those unaware, Taliah Leslie and Shelby Grochowski filed this lawsuit in 2021. In fact, reports had emerged last year that Leslie and Kanye West reached a settlement in a lawsuit, so it seems like this refers more to the class action involvement of more employees. The basic claims involve allegations of labor code violations, lack of overtime wages and meal breaks, lack of off-the-clock work compensation, and required travel to Paris, Wyoming, and more without proper reimbursement or payment.

The plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit against Kanye West, who faces other serious allegations such as sexual assault, reportedly joined the Yeezy team in 2019. Taliah Leslie was an assistant designer and Shelby Grochowski was an assistant pattern-maker. “Defendant [failed] to compensate all overtime hours worked when Plaintiff and Aggrieved Employees worked over eight hours in one day or forty hours in one week,” the lawsuit alleged, also claiming that employees “worked in excess of five (5) and/or ten (10) hours a day without being provided at least half-hour meal periods.” Per the suit, the Chicago artist’s personal views impacted these workplace conditions, such as a ban on eating inside the offices.

While Kanye West and Yeezy did reportedly settle for $625K here, they “deny any liability or wrongdoing” according to reported court documents. Specifically, they alleged that they acted in full compliance with the California Labor Code and other provisions. Ye’s wife Bianca Censori reportedly signed the agreement on behalf of her husband and the company. This is far from the only legal obstacle in his path, although it seems like this instance came to a close.