Kanye West is facing yet another legal battle, this time from a former employee alleging discrimination against Black members of his workforce. Benjamin Deshon Provo, a former security guard at the Donda Academy, filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court, citing “severe emotional distress” caused by West’s conduct.
According to newly surfaced court documents, Provo claims that Kanye and his management team treated Black employees differently than their white counterparts, subjecting them to verbal abuse. “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,” the lawsuit states.
Provo also alleges that West targeted some employees for wearing locs, despite Provo and his peers explaining that it was a standard practice for Muslims. “Kanye and members of his management team required Provo to choose between these critical aspects of his self-identity and financial stability,” the complaint continues, via Page Six. “Indeed, at the direction of Kanye, Provo was given the ultimatum: cut his hair or be fired.”
Provo also alleged that West banned books by or about historical Black figures such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. In the suit, the accuser didn’t request a specific sum for damages, just a simple plea for justice.
This lawsuit comes on the heels of similar allegations filed by Trevor Phillips, another Donda Academy alum. In a suit filed last month, Phillips alleged discrimination, harassment, and a hostile work environment, claiming that West “bullied” Black employees and made derogatory remarks about various groups.
Among the shocking allegations, Phillips claims that West confessed to “masturbating a lot” and made offensive remarks about gay people, Jews, and Adolf Hitler. He also alleges that West attempted to “install a jail at his school to ‘cage’ students” and threatened physical violence.
Elsewhere in the suit, Phillips alleged that the Chicago-based rapper tried to “install a jail at his school to ‘cage’ students” and “gave preferential treatment to white employees.” The former employee alleged that it all came to a head when West threatened to hit him during a “temper tantrum.”
