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Megan Thee Stallion And Lizzo: Accusers Pierce 'wall Of Silence' Around Celebrity Abuse, Lawyer Says

When three former backup dancers for Lizzo filed lawsuits against the singer in August 2023, alleging that she engaged in sexual misconduct and created a hostile work environment, they helped expose a culture of "celebrity abuse" that is "rampant" in the entertainment industry, the women's attorney says.

One of the results of the dancers' lawsuit is that two other former employees of Lizzo and of another top music artist, Megan Thee Stallion, have come forward to file hostile-workplace lawsuits, with the lawsuit against Megan Thee Stallion coming this week.

"The 'wall of silence' around celebrity abuse and toxicity (was) cracked and weakened by the initial Lizzo plaintiffs coming forward," said L.A.-based employment law attorney Ron Zambrano in a statement to this news organization. Zambrano's firm represents all five plaintiffs in three lawsuits that have been filed against Lizzo and Meghan Thee Stallion since August. "This has empowered others to at least consider what they are going through or went through was not only unacceptable, but also unlawful behavior."

On Tuesday, a former cameraman for Megan Thee Stallion filed suit against the "Hot Girl Summer" rapper in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging, among other things, that he was trapped inside a moving vehicle with the star in Spain in 2022, while she had sex with a woman, NBC News reported.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 11: EDITORIAL USE ONLY Lizzo performs on stage during The BRIT Awards 2023 at The O2 Arena on February 11, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images) 

Emilio Garcia alleged that the following day he was asked by Megan Thee Stallion if he saw her having sex, the lawsuit said. When he confirmed he had, he was told by her to never discuss what he saw, and he was subsequently berated, fat-shamed and treated differently by her. When they returned from the trip, he said his compensation structure was changed.

The harassment "was so severe or pervasive" that it created a "hostile, abusive work environment" that made Garcia's "working conditions intolerable," the lawsuit said.

Garcia's legal filing against Megan Thee Stallion, whose real name is Megan Pete, comes the same week that the Grammy winner announced that her worldwide Hot Girl Summer Tour would include a June 23 performance at San Francisco's Chase Center.

News of the lawsuit brought an immediate denial from Megan Thee Stallion's legal team. Attorney Alex Spiro blasted the "salacious accusations" made against his client in an "attempt to embarrass her," referring to Garcia's claims that he was forced to watch her have sex. In a statement to the Daily Beast, Spiro insisted that the lawsuit is "an employment claim for money," with no accompanying sexual harassment claim.

Zambrano hit back, saying it's no surprise that Megan Thee Stallion would deny the allegations. In a statement to the Daily Beast, he explained that Garcia's hostile workplace allegations stems from being forced into sexual voyeurism.

"None of this is intended to embarrass her but merely an attempt to hold her accountable for her illegal actions just as anyone else should be, celebrity or not," Zambrano said.

In a statement to this news organization, the attorney also pushed back at the idea circulating online that only male stars can be abusers — or that Garcia should have been excited by the car sex, participated in it or taken out his camera to film it.

"Just because he is a man, he can still be a victim of sexually inappropriate conduct in the workplace — rights that should be respected," the attorney said.

The lawsuits against Lizzo also allege that the "Truth Hurts" singer fostered a toxic workplace that was rife with sexual harassment, as well as weight-shaming and racial and religious discrimination.

Lizzo has denied the allegations, and her attorneys have filed to dismiss both lawsuits. In March, she suggested in an Instagram post that the fallout had led her to consider quitting music. While she did not explicitly name the lawsuits, she referred vaguely to "lies being told about me for clout & views."

"I'm getting tired of putting up with being dragged by everyone in my life and on the internet," Lizzo wrote. "All I want is to make music and make people happy and help the world be a little better than how I found it. But I'm starting to feel like the world doesn't want me in it."

Lizzo later clarified to say that she didn't intend to quit music but that she would only stop giving attention to the "negative energy."

Zambrano told this news organization that commons theme have emerged from the allegations against Lizzo and Meghan Thee Stallion and in phone calls his firm, West Coast Trial Lawyers, has received from distraught workers who are afraid to come forward against powerful bosses. Celebrities can get away with abusive behavior because people need to work, he said. Even when employees file complaints internally, nothing is done, "further enabling the behavior," he said.

"Where the source of the unlawful behavior wields so much power (like in the celebrity/artist context) these stories and violations are rampant," Zambrano said.

"We have to stop expecting that those who work for stars should just deal with this egregious and illegal behavior and suck it up and be thankful for their access," Zambrano continued. "That is a recipe for the abuse in treatment and underpayment, not only in this lawsuit, but in many other stories that are yet to be told."

Zambrano also pushed back against suggestion that his clients' lawsuits are unfairly targeting women of color who have achieved power in the entertainment industry. He said, "Our client are themselves people of color — and four out of five of them are female."

Zambrano's law firm first made news last August when it filed the lawsuit against Lizzo, her production company and her dance captain, Shirlene Quigley, on behalf of three dancers, Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis, and Noelle Rodriguez. The dancers had worked on on Lizzo's Special Tour, which began in September 2022 and ended in July 2023.

In court documents summarized by The Cut, the dancers allege, among other things, that  Lizzo pressured them to "attend outings where nudity and sexuality were a focal point," disregarding their discomfort in these settings. One such outing occurred in Amsterdam, when they accompanied the singer to a nightclub in the city's red-light district. While there, the lawsuit alleges, Lizzo "hounded" her employees to have physical contact with nude dancers.

The dancers also allege that they experienced body-shaming on the job, an especially shocking allegation, as Lizzo has often been praised for promoting body positivity, The Cut said.

The following month, stylist Asha Daniels filed a separate suit, alleging she endured an environment of sexual harassment, overwork, and racism during the tour, The Cut reported. In her lawsuit, Daniels named Lizzo and her production company as defendants, as well as the concert's tour and wardrobe managers.

Daniels's suit claims she was fired "without notice or reason" after speaking up, The Cut reported. While her suit didn't cite specific allegations of misconduct against Lizzo, she said in an interview with ABC news that a professional environment ultimately comes down to the boss. Zambrano echoed this view in a statement released when Daniels' lawsuit was filed, "Lizzo is the boss, so the buck stops with her."

Megan Thee Stallion Sued For Harassment After Allegedly Having Sex With Woman In Front Of Employee

Megan Thee Stallion's former cameraman is suing the rap superstar for allegedly creating a hostile work environment, claiming she forced him to witness her having sex and other scandalous claims.

Emilio Garcia claims in the complaint – filed in Los Angeles Tuesday and obtained by Page Six – that Megan, 29, had sexual relations with an unidentified woman while riding in an SUV during a tour stop in Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022.

The personal videographer, who had worked with the "WAP" rapper since 2018, allegedly witnessed the incident as he claims he was in the car at the time.

Videographer Emilio Garcia is suing Megan Thee Stallion for allegedly creating a hostile work environment. Emilio Garcia The cameraman claims he was forced to witness Megan have sex with another woman. Emilio Garcia The alleged incident occurred during a tour stop in Ibiza, Spain. Megan Thee Stallion / Instagram

"Don't ever discuss what you saw," Megan allegedly told Garcia the next day, per the suit.

The cameraman told NBC News of the alleged incident, "I felt uncomfortable. I was kind of frozen, and I was shocked. At kind of just the overall audacity to do this right, right beside me."

Garcia also claims in the complaint that Megan berated him during that same trip to Spain with comments like "fat bitch," "spit your food out" and "you don't need to be eating."

"To hear someone who advocates about loving your body tell me these things, I felt degraded," he told NBC News of the remarks the "Savage" rapper, whose real name is Megan Pete, allegedly made.

Garcia worked as Megan's personal cameraman from 2018 to 2023. Emilio Garcia "Don't ever discuss what you saw," Megan allegedly told Garcia after her alleged sexual rendezvous. Instagram/@theestallion

Garcia claims Megan then altered his pay from a monthly rate of $4,000 to a "pay-per-task" system after the trip, resulting in him earning "significantly less." He allegedly also "noticed a change in how he was treated and saw a decrease in the number of bookings he received," per the lawsuit.

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Garcia claims he suffered damages as a result of what he allegedly endured, including substantial losses in earnings totaling more than six figures in back pay, employment benefits, injuries, sickness, emotional distress, medical expenses and more.

"[He] endured a barrage of relentless sexual and fat-shaming comments plunging him into profound emotional distress," according to the complaint, further claiming the videographer now struggles with "mounting anxiety, depression and physical distress stemming from the toxic work environment."

Garcia claims Megan's behavior caused him to deal with mental health issues. Instagram/@theestallion He also claims he suffered financial losses after the rapper allegedly changed their work contract. Instagram/@theestallion

Roc Nation terminated Garcia in June 2023, and per his attorneys, he believes it was "direct retaliation for his complaints about the ongoing illegal behavior and failure to pay him properly."

"Megan just needs to pay our client what he's due, own up to her behavior and quit this sort of sexual harassment and fat shaming conduct," attorney Ron Zambrano says in a statement to Page Six.

"Emilio should never have been put in a position of having to be in the vehicle with her while she had sex with another woman."

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Thanks for signing up! Megan has not yet addressed the allegations. Instagram/@theestallion "Megan just needs to pay our client what he's due," Garcia's attorneys say.

The California-based lawyer, who also represents Lizzo's harassment accusers, concludes, "'Inappropriate' is putting it lightly. Exposing this behavior to employees is definitely illegal."

Megan is denying the allegations, and a lawyer for the "Hot Girl Summer" rapper told Page Six exclusively Tuesday, "This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her. We will deal with this in court."

Aside from Megan, Garcia is also suing Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment, Inc., Hot Girl Touring, LLC and Roc Nation for harassment and other alleged labor code violations.

Get The Gig 2023 Finalist To Perform At Country Concert

By Charlotte Caldwell

[email protected]

FORT LORAMIE — A Lancaster native will perform at Country Concert this year along with other native Ohio performers.

Abby Miller started performing at 7 years old when a talent show was held at her elementary school. After that, she participated in other singing contests, and when she turned 18 and graduated, she began performing at local festivals and restaurants.

Some of her accomplishments include opening for Phil Vassar at the Reynoldsburg Tomato Festival, headlining her own show at the Fairfield County Fair and opening for the Black Diamond Music Festival.

"Music has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember," Miller said. "I love creating music and sharing it with others. I love the impact music has on myself, and to be a musician whose music impacts other people is the greatest feeling a musician can have. I can't picture myself doing anything else."

She performs part-time; her other part-time job is working at a daycare.

"I've always said if it wasn't for music, I'd be a teacher," Miller said.

Miller is mostly self-taught with some guitar and vocal lessons taken when she was a kid. She also eventually wants to learn piano.

"I perform both covers and originals. Although I look forward to releasing new originals soon and being able to perform mostly original music at my shows," Miller said.

She will play both originals and covers at Country Concert. Her favorite song to cover is "You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive," otherwise known as the song that introduced her to bluegrass, and her favorite original song is "Ain't Worth the Fight."

"After growing up with songs like Jolene and The Fool, that are about begging another woman not to take your man, I always wanted to write a song that said 'if you can take him, you can have him,' and that's exactly what 'Ain't Worth the Fight' is," Miller said.

"A lot of my song ideas happen while I'm driving in my car listening to music that inspires me. Although I feel my most creative in songwriting when I'm writing with others," Miller said. "The best part of being a musician is making music and seeing others connect to that music. To pour your heart and soul into a song, and see others relate and connect to it, is the greatest feeling."

Miller competed in Get The Gig in 2023 hosted by JD Legends in Franklin and made it to the top five, which guaranteed her a spot in the lineup for Country Concert 2024.

"I was initially disappointed having had lost (Get The Gig), but making it into the final five, knowing no matter what I would get to play at the Country Concert, was one of shock and excitement. Shock because I played against incredible musicians in the competition, so to even be in the final five was an honor. Excitement because I was now to play on one of the biggest country music stages in Ohio. And on the night of Lainey Wilson, no less. It is an honor, and one I will not take for granted," Miller said.

"I look deeply forward to playing at the Country Concert 2024, and can't thank Country Concert enough for allowing me this opportunity, and to my mother who has supported me and believed in me through it all, even when I didn't believe in myself," Miller said. "And to everyone else playing at Country Concert, good luck! I can't wait to see all of you there."

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