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Hip hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion is facing a lawsuit from freelance photographer Emilio Garcia, involving harassment allegations and an unusual event that Garcia claims he was forced to witness.
Garcia, who worked as a photographer for the star vocalist, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Megan Thee Stallion, born Megan Pete, which alleges that Garcia was the victim of verbal abuse, harassment, and an overall hostile work environment.
The lawsuit describes a specific event when Garcia and Pete were in Ibiza in June of 2022. They were traveling in an SUV with three other women when, Garcia alleges, Megan Pete began performing sex acts with one of the woman.
Garcia explained to NBC News that he felt “frozen” and “uncomfortable,” while ultimately feeling shocked over the women’s actions.
Days later, Garcia claims that his pay was reduced when Megan decided to no longer pay him the usual monthly agreed-upon rate and, instead, pay him on a per-job basis. However, he also claims that Pete began degrading him, verbally harassing him, and created a hostile work environment which included calling Garcia “a fat bi***,” and telling him to spit out his food because Megan allegedly suggested he didn’t need to eat.
Garcia stated, “To hear someone who advocates about loving your body tell me these things, I felt degraded.”
Through her attorney, Megan Pete states that the allegations are simply an attempt at a money-grab by Garcia.
“This is an employment claim for money,” Megan’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said, “with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her. We will deal with this in court.”
Garcia has not worked for the Grammy winner since June of 2023. He told NBC News that he feels he was taken advantage of partly because “there’s no HR department in the entertainment industry.”
Megan’s attorney pointing out that Garcia didn’t file any harassment claim is a reference to California law requiring someone to file a workplace harassment claim with the California Civil Department before they can sue the employer. However, Garcia had explained in the lawsuit that Megan forced him to send her a monthly invoice in order to get paid, which further emphasizes that he’s a freelancer. The irony of this is that it means employment laws are thus non-applicable in this instance.
How the lawsuit itself plays out might not be Megan’s biggest concern. If it’s not uncommon for her to verbally harass those that work for her, then it’s likely that others will come forward to support or verify Garcia’s claims. If that doesn’t happen, however, then the court of public opinion may not be in favor of Garcia. If it does happen, then Megan the Stallion’s skyrocketing career could face a significant hurdle, regardless of the result of this specific lawsuit.