Nearly a year ago, Kanye West took over the Hollywood Bowl to hold his Nebuchadnezzar opera show. It was held shortly after he delivered his Jesus Is King project, a release that kicked off his dive into the world of gospel music. The opera show was disappointing to fans who attended, as it started two hours behind schedule and lasted only 50 minutes. Now, less than three weeks from the one-year anniversary of the show, West is facing a lawsuit from the opera staffers for unpaid wages.
According to legal documents obtained by Complex, the opera staffers claimed that they were not adequately compensated for their contribution to their Nebuchadnezzar show. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include background actors and a hairstylist who claims she was supposed to receive $550 for two days of work. The hairstylist said after four months they received a $530 check and allegedly she was charged a $20 wire fee to get the payment. Other workers on the opera set said they were also charged the $20 fee, which apparently is a violation of California’s labor code.
“The defendants oversaw, controlled and ran the production, and the aggrieved employees worked many hours on the production and were not timely paid for their work, or paid at all,” a document from the lawsuit reads. “In addition, Defendants misclassified Plaintiffs and Aggrieved Employees as independent contractors as no deductions were made for payroll taxes.”
The plaintiffs are hoping to receive “unpaid wages, continuing wages, damages, civil penalties, statutory penalties and attorney’s fees and costs.”
(via Complex)