Megan Thee Stallion’s Attorney Denies Former Photographer’s Harassment Allegations: An ‘Attempt to Embarrass Her’
Megan Thee Stallion’s former photo and videographer alleges he was forced to witness her having sex with a woman in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles. Plaintiff Emilio Garcia is also accusing the Texas-born entertainer of harassment and a hostile work environment.
Garcia names Roc Nation (who manages Megan) and Megan’s touring and entrainment companies as defendants in the 42-page suit that alleges wage and hour violations. He claims Megan “berated and directed fat-shaming comments” towards him, citing direct quotes such as “Fat Bitch,” “Spit your food out,” and “You don’t need to be eating.”
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In the lawsuit, Garcia details an obscene incident that was said to have occurred in Ibiza during June 2022: After a night out, Garcia recalls being with Megan and three other women in an SUV when Megan began to have sex next to him. He says Megan told him to never “discuss what you saw,” and that when they returned from the trip, his compensation structure was changed from “a monthly flat-rate to a pay-per-task” arrangement. The lawsuit alleges that Garcia was not allowed to work for anyone else and was denied overtime pay and breaks while he was working with Megan.
“Stallion’s misclassification of his employment status left him without basic insurance coverage, depriving him of essential health care,” the lawsuit states. “[Garcia] grapples with mounting anxiety, depression, and physical distress stemming from the toxic work environment, compounded by
the trauma of unpaid work.”
An attorney for Megan Thee Stallion, Alex Spiro, said Tuesday: “This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her. We will deal with this in court.”
Garcia is being represented by Ron Zambrano, the lawyer representing numerous dancers accusing Lizzo of sexual harassment and a hostile work environment. In that suit, three of Lizzo’s former dancers say they were pressured — due to fear of losing their jobs — to touch nude dancers during a live sex show in Amsterdam’s Red Light District. They also accuse Lizzo of racial harassment, disability discrimination, assault and false imprisonment.
“Unfortunately, it is not a surprise that the [Megan], through her attorney, is denying the allegations,” said Zambrano in a statement shared with Variety. “It is an utter lie that we have not alleged a hostile work environment based on the sex claim. It is literally the first claim listed in the lawsuit. None of this is intended to embarrass her but merely an attempt to hold her accountable for her illegal actions just as anyone else should be, celebrity or not.”
He continued, “The reaction that my client should not have been offended or somehow thankful for being in a car while she had sex with another woman is an absolute double standard. If our client was a woman and was forced to watch a man have sex in the vehicle with her, there would be no outrage if she was offended. Employees who work for celebrities should be afforded the same sort of workplace free of harassment that any other worker in any other industry is legally obligated to have.”
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