Kim Kardashian Is Being Sued By Former Gardeners & Maintenance Staff

Kim Kardashian claims the labor violations laid out in a lawsuit against her are the fault of a vendor, not her

At least seven former gardeners and maintenance employees who have worked on Kim Kardashian’s property have filed a lawsuit against the reality star, alleging that she violated a number of California labor laws. Among the claims, they say that Kardashian withheld taxes from their wages, but never paid those taxes to the government.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles by Andrew Ramirez; his brother, Christopher Ramirez, and son Andrew Ramirez Jr.; Aron Cabrea; Rene Ernesto Flores; Jesse Fernandez, and Robert Araiza, who have all worked on Kardashian’s property, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In addition to the tax claims, the former workers say that Kardashian didn’t pay them for overtime, didn’t allow them to take breaks for meals or to rest, and required a 16-year-old to work more than 48 hours in a week, which is the maximum the state allows for someone at that age. One worker also alleges that when he brought up some of these issues, he was fired.

The complaint reads, “Plaintiffs … were not paid on regular periods, were not given their required meal and rest breaks, were not provided a means to record all their hours, were not paid all their hours, were not reimbursed for employment expenses, were not paid all their overtime wages, and were not paid their wages upon termination of employment.”

A spokesperson for Kardashian told Page Six, “These workers were hired and paid through a third-party vendor hired by Kim to provide ongoing services. Kim is not party to the agreement made between the vendor and their workers, therefore she is not responsible for how the vendor manages their business and the agreements they have made directly with their staff. Kim has never not paid a vendor for their services and hopes that the issue between these workers and the vendor who hired them can be amicably resolved soon.”

Currently, Kim Kardashian is the only named defendant in the case. But the lawsuit leaves room for “Does 1-50,” which means that more defendants could be added later. Frank Kim, the attorney representing the former employees, is also representing a group of former workers who have brought a similar lawsuit against Kanye West. Kardashian and West are in the process of divorcing and currently living apart from one another.

“Wage theft and other workplace violations are a widespread problem in Los Angeles,” Kim says. “My firm is currently investigating other potential violations against these defendants, as well as other powerful families and businesses on behalf of everyday workers.”