Kanye West facing $30m lawsuit over unpaid workers at his Sunday Service shows

Amid rumours that an expensive divorce settlement is on the horizon for Kim and Kanye, the rapper may cop another hefty legal bill.

Kanye West is facing a $30 million (AU$39 million) lawsuit involving a thousand performers and backstage crew at his Sunday Service shows who claim they were mistreated or not paid.

The rapper has been putting on the extravagant shows across the US since January 2019, but lawyers are now being contacted by a growing number of former employees unhappy with how they’ve been treated, sources told The Sun

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Kanye was hit with two lawsuits last year. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Live Nation

Last summer, Kanye was hit with two class-action lawsuits over the production of his first “opera,” entitled Nebuchadnezzar, at the Hollywood Bowl in November 2019.

It featured hundreds of performers, the Sunday Service choir and a massive backstage crew of make-up artists, hair stylists, costume designers and actors hired to sit in the audience, due to dreadful ticket sales, despite 5000 being given away.

According to strict California employment law, performers and crew, who also worked one rehearsal day, should have been classified as employees, not independent contractors.

It means they had a legal right to overtime wages, meal and rest breaks, but according to the lawsuits they didn’t get any of this, nor were they paid on time, if at all, in some cases.

Some performers from his Sunday Service choir claim they were mistreated. Picture: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella

One lawsuit, filed by LA employment lawyer Frank Kim in August, concentrates on the performers, which totals over 500 people.

The other, filed by entertainment attorneys Harris & Ruble, centres on behind-the scenes staff of around 300 people.

Yet this is just the tip of the iceberg, two sources told The Sun.

Lawyers are now tracking down other alleged “victims” of Kanye’s Sunday Service shows, and has dozens of people lined up to join the lawsuit meaning the final tally will be closer to 1000 people, the source said.

“They’ve got hundreds of people on board already, but they’re talking to many, many others, who want to be a part of it. People are very upset how they were treated, saying it’s their worst experience,” a legal source told The Sun.

Kanye could have to pay out millions. Picture: Jean-Baptiste Lacroix/AFP

“People in the lawsuit are asking their friends who’ve worked on previous Sunday Services, and they’re jumping at the chance, they want to get involved and talk about their horrible time.

“Now it’s about proving that Kanye is the employer and the buck stops with him. Now that there’s others coming forward, then the complaint will be amended and be bigger in scope.

“No one knows how involved Kanye himself was, if he knew what was going on, as it was all so last minute, it was terribly ran.

“Whether it was mismanagement, accidental, or on purpose, this is a very strong case.”

Another insider revealed that West was probably oblivious to the staff issues, that’s no excuse as to how they were treated.

This could mean Kanye shelling out $1 million for each lawsuit if he settles, but as high as $30 million (AU$39 million) if he contests it.

Hair assistant Raina Leon is one of the workers involved in the lawsuit. Picture: Supplied

The source says: “When you do things last minute, it’s disorganised, mistakes will happen.

“When Kanye West does a production, he just says to his guys: ‘Make it happen,’ he has different teams of people to do things, and when you’re under that amount of pressure, you cut corners.

“Anything with film or music production, they do the art first, it’s a case of ‘let’s get the production done and worry if it’s legal later.’

“I’m pretty sure Kanye West hasn’t done anything about paying a bill in twenty years, he’d expect people to take care of it.

“But Kanye can’t have this go to trial, as the jury may not be Kanye fans and just see a rich rapper ripping off normal folk, he can settle for much less or be hit with a $30 million (AU$39 million) legal bill.”

Kim Kardashian West, Kendall Jenner and Penelope Scotland Disick attend Sunday Service during the 2019 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival in 2019. Picture: Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella

The Los Angeles County Superior Court has joined the lawsuits together and on there was a conference on Friday with all the defendants, which includes West’s company West Brands LLC, celebrity video producers AJR Films, and casting companies SaYven Entertainment Corp and Mill Ticket Entertainment LLC.

One performer, Michael Pearson, involved in the suit, said in court documents that he was paid a flat $250 day rate “regardless of the number of hours worked,” had no rest or meal breaks, and was “forced to stand or sit on the ground” all weekend, as there wasn’t enough chairs.

At the end of the show, a promised staff shuttle back to their cars didn’t turn up and they had to walk, court papers read.

Another worker is hair assistant Raina Leon, who alleged in the lawsuit that she was paid $250 (AU$325) for the rehearsal day and $350 (AU$455) for the performance, which took four months to be paid, minus a $20 (AU$26) wire fee, with Leon believing that “other Class Members were also paid 120 days late – if at all.”

The lawsuit comes amid rumours the couple are on the brink of divorce. Picture: Jean-Baptiste Lacroix/AFP

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It comes as Kanye West prepares to go through a divorce with wife Kim Kardashian.

He was spotted back in the West Coast as a source previously told The Sun that the pair’s “divorce” may seem “amicable” at first, but things will “get ugly” as they battle for custody of their kids.

The Sun reached out to a representative for Kanye, and lawyers for both lawsuits, for comment.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced here with permission