Kanye West has been sued by another former staffer at his Donda Academy school who alleges that the rapper “frequently screamed at and berated Black employees,” Radar reports.
In a new lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Friday and obtained by Page Six, Benjamin Deshon Provo claimed he suffered “severe emotional distress” after being hired as a security guard in August 2021 and later fired for refusing to cut his dreadlocks.
Provo’s attorneys argued that he found himself at the “epicenter of a campaign of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation as a result of being an unapologetically Black man, and a follower of the Muslim faith.” He is seeking damages for discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and labor code violations.
“Kanye and members of his management team subjected Provo and other black employees to less favorable treatment than their white counterparts,” the complaint read.
“Kanye and members of his management team subjected Provo and other black employees to less favorable treatment than their white counterparts,” the complaint read.
“Specifically, Kanye frequently screamed at and berated black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward white staff.”
Provo said that Kanye ridiculed him for wearing his hair in dreads, even though he claimed the hairstyle was due in part to his Muslim faith.
“Kanye and members of his management team required Provo to choose between these critical aspects of his self-identity and financial stability,” the lawsuit stated. “Indeed, at the direction of Kanye, Provo was given the ultimatum, cut his hair, or be fired.”
The suit also claimed that Kanye banned books about historical Black leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
The suit also claimed that Kanye banned books about historical Black leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X.
“Further, Kanye regularly expressed negative beliefs associated with prominent black leaders that advocated for or sought to advance the black community,” Provo’s complaint alleged.
In addition to facing racial and religious discrimination, Provo said that Kanye West forced him to engage in uncomfortable physical altercations as part of his job as a security guard, claiming he was instructed to “prevent paparazzi from interacting with Kanye by any means necessary, including acts of violence.”
“Specifically, plaintiff was required to use physical force to remove paparazzi from the direct vicinity of Kanye and those in his company,” the complaint added. “Kanye required that plaintiff snatch cameras from paparazzi, take their sim cards and provide them to Kanye. Notably, this was a practice regularly engaged in by Kanye, who has a documented history of assaulting paparazzi.”
When Provo told his manager “I don’t want to do this, I could go to jail,” the supervisor allegedly dismissed his concerns and replied, “We will bail you out.”
Former Yeezy employee Trevor Phillips also sued Kanye West in a bombshell lawsuit filed earlier this month.
Provo’s claims echo similar allegations made in lawsuits filed by other former employees.
Cecila Hailey and Chekarey Byers, who claimed they were the only Black teachers at the school, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit when they were fired after allegedly raising issues about health and safety violations at the school.
Former Yeezy employee Trevor Phillips also sued Kanye in a bombshell lawsuit earlier this month, accusing him of targeting Black employees, spewing hate against Jews in private meetings, and threatening to shave students’ heads and lock them in cages.