Kim Kardashian’s Ex Gardeners and Maintenance Workers File a Lawsuit, Claim Unpaid Wages and Exploitation
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The Kardashian-Jenner clan has been in the headlines more than usual recently, but those headlines haven’t been positive. First, Kendall Jenner was trending due to accusations that she was appropriating Mexican culture for financial gain. This time around, Kim Kardashian is trending because of a new lawsuit that ex-employees have filed against her.
Seven Latino ex-employees of Kim Kardashian claim that the reality star violated California labor laws. They also allege she participated in wage theft.
The plaintiffs names are Andrew Ramirez, Christopher Ramirez, Andrew Ramirez Jr., Aron Cabrea, Rene Ernesto Flores, Jesse Fernandez and Robert Araiza. All of them worked as either gardeners or maintenance staff at Kardashian’s estate in Hidden Hills.
The 10-point lawsuit reads as follows: “Plaintiffs … were not paid on regular periods, were not given their required meal and rest breaks, were not provided a means to record all their hours, were not paid all their hours, were not reimbursed for employment expenses, were not paid all their overtime wages, and were not paid their wages upon termination of employment.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that plaintiff Andrew Ramirez says he was fired when he complained about the working conditions.
Not shocking but really disappointing because they can afford to pay their staff the best possible wages, breaks and meal time. But instead choose to be horrible. not give them breaks and let them eat? ew. I hope they win.
— Red Fox 🦊 (@Seduca3000) May 26, 2021
In response to the lawsuit, a spokesperson for Kim Kardashian said: “These workers were hired and paid through a third-party vendor hired by Kim to provide ongoing services.”
But to critics of the Kardashian clan, that excuse isn’t good enough. “Wage theft and other workplace violations are a widespread problem in Los Angeles,” said the plaintiffs’ attorney, Frank Kim. “My firm is currently investigating other potential violations against these defendants, as well as other powerful families and businesses on behalf of everyday workers.”
The lawsuit has kicked off a discussion about how rich/privileged people frequently exploit Latino laborers.
Good thing she’s a lawyer. 🙃 And how typical of a rich socialite to stiff POC and exploit their labor. Especially Latinos. 👍🏾
— FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY 🇲🇽🇺🇸✡️✊🏾✊🏿✊🏻 (@Socaldiced) May 26, 2021
“I’ve said this again and again, LA and much of the wealthy parts of Southern California is built on the backs of Latino immigrants and the rich continues to exploit them without acknowledging their existence,” said one enraged Twitter user.
There are also quite a few people defending Kardashian. They say she is not responsible because the third part vendor was the one “in charge” of the maintenance workers. Others say that it is her responsibility as an employer to make sure her workers are paid, period. “Refusing to take ownership of staff negligence just because you’re using a third party vendor is not an excuse,” wrote a different Twitter user.