In a surprising turn of events, Emilio Garcia, a former cameraman for Megan Thee Stallion, has come forward with disturbing allegations of harassment and a hostile work environment against the hip-hop star.
Garcia has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, claiming that he was subjected to verbal abuse, fat-shaming, and intimidation by Megan, making his working conditions unbearable.
The lawsuit details an incident where Emilio Garcia alleges he was trapped inside a moving vehicle with Megan in a foreign country while she engaged in sexual activity with another woman.
“I felt uncomfortable, frozen, and shocked. The audacity to do this right beside me,” Garcia told NBC News.
The next day, Megan warned him: “Don’t discuss what you saw,” the suit states.
Following this traumatic event, Garcia, who goes by the handle “Emilio Coochie” on social media, claims he faced mistreatment from Megan Thee Stallion, including fat-shaming insults and demeaning remarks.
In his suit, Garcia alleges Megan fat-shamed him, calling him a “fat b***h” and criticizing his eating.
“To hear someone who advocates loving your body tell me these things,” Garcia said, “I felt degraded.”
Despite his dedication to his role as Megan’s personal cameraman since 2018, Emilio asserts that his compensation structure was abruptly changed upon their return from a trip to Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022.
He alleges that he was treated differently following the Ibiza trip and experienced a decrease in bookings, leading him to consider quitting his job.
Garcia remained on the schedule for a June 2023 job, but the night before, Roc Nation notified him that “his services would no longer be required” by Megan, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also highlights broader issues of employment classification and fair compensation, as Emilio Garcia alleges being misclassified as an independent contractor, depriving him of essential benefits such as basic insurance coverage.
What I learned throughout the years is that, especially coming from an from an office environment, is you know, there’s no HR department in the entertainment business.
So if you don’t know that you’re being done wrong, you don’t really know how to advocate for yourself until you start asking maybe you start asking your peers who have representation, they have agents, they have management, they have attorney.
So I just really just want to encourage people to advocate for themselves.
Emilio claims the emotional toll of the alleged harassment has been profound leading to anxiety, depression, and physical distress.
His attorney, Ron Zambrano, emphasizes the severity of Megan Thee Stallion’s actions and calls for accountability and restitution.
Megan just needs to pay our client what he’s due, own up to her behavior and quit this sort of sexual harassment and fat-shaming conduct.
Emilio should never have been put in a position of having to be in the vehicle with her while she had sex with another woman.
‘Inappropriate’ is putting it lightly. Exposing this behavior to employees is definitely illegal.
Emilio Garcia’s lawsuit seeks more than six figures in damages, including unpaid wages, overtime compensation, statutory penalties, and punitive damages.
Related: Lizzo Lawsuit: 3 Former Dancers Accuse Singer Of Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment
Interestingly, this lawsuit surfaces just three weeks before Megan Thee Stallion’s Hot Girl Summer Tour starts.
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Source: NBC
