The legal wrangling over Kylie Jenner has rocked the entertainment industry, with a former private chef claiming the reality TV star and her family have been involved in highly troubling working conditions, especially during a time when the reality star was at her peak. The complaint has received widespread publicity from the media and legal professionals, and focuses on allegations of the chef being subjected to “unreasonable hours of labor” during her pregnancy and ultimately losing her baby. This lawsuit comes on the heels of other employees’ grievances against Jenner over his conduct in the workplace and the general issue of domestic workers’ rights in celebrity homes.
In a court filing, the former chef says she was forced to work 11 to 12 hours a day, five days a week, during her pregnancy. These strenuous hours did not stop when she became five months pregnant, court papers state, when many health care workers advise patients to limit physical activity and take it easy. The lawsuit describes a physically demanding job environment with the chef’s physical restrictions apparently ignored in the face of the known dangers of working for long periods in one spot and extreme physical exertion during pregnancy. The claims made suggest not only was she physically stressed but also emotionally stressed, and that her subsequent miscarriage was a direct result of the stress.
The most horrific part of the complaint deals with a particular incident that occurred in February when the chef was requested to provide catering for a birthday celebration with his family in Palm Springs, California. She was about five months pregnant at the time, and, as alleged by the lawsuit, had already voiced some doubts about her ability to manage the high-profile event. The legal papers show that the chef asked her supervisors for help and assistance in preparing the party, which was not honored. Rather, she would be left to work with the heavy workload all by herself, and eventually have what the lawsuit describes as a “physical and emotional breakdown” happen in the bathroom during the event. As a result of the heavy and prolonged workload, [she] suffered from physical exhaustion and from “overwhelming physical strain” and broke down emotionally in the bathroom during the event, the lawsuit states.
The tragedy compounded the next day when the chef got very heavy bleeding, and had to airlift herself to the hospital, where she was told that she had lost her baby. The loss was also difficult to come to terms with and the chef became depressed as she tried to deal with her grief. Instead of being supported or comforted by her employers during this difficult period, a supervisor allegedly told her to stop crying as it was upsetting Kylie Jenner and brought down the celebrity, the suit alleges. The supervisor was allegedly saying, “Stop it, just stop it. You are making Kylie depressed. The complaint has resonated with many people who see it as symbolic of “the disconnect between the celebrity employer and the human cost of her housekeeping” as one writer put it.
Attorneys involved in the case have pointed out that the grievance brings up serious issues concerning workplace rights and employers, no matter how well-known or well-heeled. A statement from the chef’s attorney states that even if a chef is a celebrity, he or she is not excused from the law of the land in California, which says that employers must provide reasonable working hours, breaks and accommodations for their pregnant employees. The attorney’s statement states, “Celebrity status is no excuse for not complying with California’s employment law. We will be presenting the evidence in court, and let the facts speak for themselves.” This statement highlights the wider legal ramifications of the case, which may serve as precedents for domestic workers in high-profile homes all over the state.
The class action against Kylie Jenner isn’t just noteworthy for the serious allegations, though, but because it is the third employment-related lawsuit against the reality star to be filed in the past few months. Juana Delgado Soto complaints in May of racial bias, discrimination and harassment while working under Jenner. Soto’s allegations painted a picture of a workplace where she was subjected to unfair treatment based on her ethnicity and faced a hostile work environment. Before that, Angelica Vasquez had also filed a lawsuit against Jenner for serious instances of discrimination and harassment while she was employed by the Kardashian family. All these cases have raised doubts about whether there are systemic problems that are being overlooked in Jenner’s household management that should be fixed.
Kylie Jenner’s house has been a hot topic for complaints, with an interesting question on the table regarding domestic oversight and regulation in celebrity circles. In contrast to established human resource departments in corporate environments, domestic workers in private homes are often not protected by any human resources departments or protocols for how employees should be treated. The case exemplifies the dangers of accepting unreasonable working conditions as a result of the “glamour” or “gladiator” associated with working for a celebrity or “retaliation.” Such situations frequently expose an imbalance of power, which can result in exploitation, especially when workers rely on their employers for wages and lack the financial means to resist mistreatment, employment lawyers say.
The tragedy of a chef alleging such a thing just makes the whole case so much more heart-wrenching. To suggest that workplace conditions may have contributed to such a loss is heartbreaking and thought provoking as there are countless women who have lost a child through miscarriage. It is generally agreed by medical professionals that the causes of miscarriage can be complex and multifactorial, however prolonged periods of stress and inadequate rest during pregnancy can lead to possible complications. The facts of the lawsuit seem to have formed a perfect storm of physical and emotional stress that ultimately resulted in her untimely death.
