The old adage goes, “Never bite the hand that feeds you,” but these celebrities’ employees cared not and decided to take legal action against the rich and the famous.
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Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is known for strutting her stuff on the catwalks around the world. But she’s also known for her hot temper. That quick fuse has also been the cause of lawsuits filed against her by several employees. In 2003, Campbell was infamously sued by a former assistant after she allegedly hit her in the head with her Blackberry phone. She was sued the next year by a maid who claimed the supermodel slapped her in the face. Another maid sued the long-legged beauty for personal injuries, employment discrimination, civil assault and civil battery. And an ex-staffer also alleged Campbell verbally and physically abused her, so she filed a lawsuit seeking damages for emotional distress.
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Lady Gaga
After Lady Gaga made it big, she hired her friend and one-time roommate to be her personal assistant. Their friendship ended as the two squared off against each other in court. Jennifer O’Neill accused Mother Monster of stiffing her of overtime pay after being at her beck and call for more than 13 months. She sought more than $400,000 in funds. One month before the case was set to go to trial, it was settled for an undisclosed amount.
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Jennifer Lopez
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Jennifer Lopez has gone from riding the 6 train through the Bronx to being chauffeured around the world. But the man hired to be the star’s personal driver ended up suing her for unspecified damages, claiming her manager Benny Medina humiliated him and damaged his career. Lopez filed a $20 million countersuit against Hakob Manoukian and accused him of extortion. The American Idol judge said after Manoukian resigned, he demanded $2.8 million from the star in exchange for his silence or he would spill the secrets he overheard while working for Lopez. Her countersuit was tossed out but the judge, but Manoukian was allowed to proceed with his.
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Britney Spears
The year 2009 was a very emotional one for Britney Spears because the public had a front row seat to her epic meltdown. But apparently she wasn’t the only one who had an emotionally tough year. Her former bodyguard Kevin Vine slapped Spears with a $25,000 lawsuit claiming the pop diva’s negligence caused him to suffer an injury on the job. He also alleged that her outrageous conduct caused him severe emotional distress. Spears was also hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit by another former bodyguard. That case was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
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Paula Deen
Food maven Paula Deen was sued by a former employee who alleged racial discrimination and sexual harassment. Instead of settling out of court, Deen decided to fight. During her deposition, she revealed that she had used the “N-word” at times. The lawsuit against Deen was eventually dismissed but when the contents of her deposition leaked to the media, her empire came crumbling down. The self-proclaimed Butter Queen lost numerous lucrative sponsorship deals and the Food Network didn’t renew her contract, putting an end to all of her shows. After disappearing from the limelight, Deen re-emerged by launching her own cooking channel on YouTube.
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Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen is certainly no stranger to scandal. Just last month he was sued by a former employee to the tune of one million dollars. Keith Fitzgerald said he was hired by Sheen and was supposed to be given a salary of $300,000 per year for a three-year period. In addition to that, he was supposed to receive a 20% incentive bonus and medical benefits. But after just five months on the job, he was shown the door for what he claimed was no apparent reason. Fitzgerald responded by filing the lawsuit and is now suing Sheen for failure to pay minimum wages in violation of the labor code, breach of contract, and failure to pay overtime wages in violation of the labor code.
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Metta World Peace
Despite his name, there’s apparently no peace between Metta World Peace and a former employee. Rebecca Cha sued the one-time Los Angeles Lakers star for unpaid salary, damages and attorney’s fees. Cha claimed the NBA star failed to pay her minimum wage for the hours she logged working for him.
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Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone found herself in the hot seat after she fired her nanny Erlinda Elemen. The Basic Instinct star let Elemen go after she learned that she had incorrectly paid her in overtime back in 2011. Elemen alleged Stone made disparaging remarks about her Filipino heritage after canning her. Eventually Stone reached a settlement agreement with her former employee for an undisclosed amount. She was also sued by her housekeeper for wrongful termination. In that case, the housekeeper alleged Stone refused to lighten her workload after an on-the-job injury, despite doctor’s orders.
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Shakira
Shakira ended up losing a lawsuit filed by two former employees, but it didn’t cost her too much. Maritza de Avila and Dibier Hernandez sued the “Hips Don’t Lie” singer for wrongful termination and asked for $250,000 in damages. Shakira’s lawyers offered the two a settlement agreement but the women declined and the trial went on. A judge ruled in their favor but they got far less than the quarter of a million dollars that they were looking for. Instead, they walked away with a paltry $1,200. Shakira also faced a million dollar lawsuit filed by her former boyfriend and manager of 11 years.
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Courtney Love
Courtney Love’s former assistant Jessica Labrie filed a lawsuit against her, we got an inside peek at the rocker’s life. In addition to requesting unpaid wages and overtime, Labrie accused Love of some illegal practices. According to the former assistant, Love asked Labrie to hire a computer hacker and falsify legal documents. Labrie filed the lawsuit for wrongful termination and was also seeking to be reimbursed for expenses paid while on business trips.
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Celine Dion
Several years ago, Celine Dion’s warehouse manager and front gate security guard teamed up to file a lawsuit against the Canadian star. Keith Sturtevant alleged the “My Heart Will Go On” singer had him doing things that weren’t a part of his job. Meanwhile, Raymond Weaver said he was pulled away from manning the front gate to hose down the driveway and patios, clean the rust off bolts in the swimming pool and lazy river, and sweep the tennis court. They were both suing for unpaid overtime. The suit was settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
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Lisa Vanderpump
Lisa Vanderpump isn’t just a reality star; Vanderpump and her husband own several restaurants, and one of their employees took them to court. Former Villa Blanca dishwasher Ricardo Velasco sued the reality star couple after he alleged he was wrongly terminated. Velasco hurt himself on the job and was placed on temporary disability for a month. But when he was let go he sued the Vanderpumps for $75,000 in wages. The case was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.
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Mary Murphy
As the judge of So You Think You Can Dance, Mary Murphy’s bubbly personality has helped her become a fan favorite. But behind closed doors, the television personality has allegedly let the fame get to her head. That is if you believe her former manager Michael Sanchez. He filed a lawsuit against his former employer and claimed Murphy turned into a desperate cocaine-fueled nymphomaniac who slept with one of the show’s producers. He sued for $1 million and because Murphy never filed a response, he was awarded more than $200,000 by default as well as a percentage of her future earnings from the show.
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David Copperfield
The famed magician was sued by a group of current and former employees claiming Copperfield stiffed them out of overtime pay while working at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He was sued for more than $500,000. Instead of fighting it out in court, Copperfield and his legal team decided to settle the case for an undisclosed amount of money.
