Emilio Garcia, a former cameraman for hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion, has filed a lawsuit accusing the entertainer of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. The suit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges that Garcia was subjected to an incident where he was trapped in a moving vehicle while Megan had sex with another woman. Garcia asserts that he received mistreatment, including fat-shaming remarks, and received warnings not to discuss what he saw.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged harassment created an intolerable and abusive work environment for Garcia. He began working for Megan in 2018, eventually quitting his job in 2019 to work for her full-time until June 2023. The incident in question allegedly occurred during a trip to Ibiza, Spain, in June 2022.
Garcia told NBC News, “I felt uncomfortable. I was kind of frozen, and I was shocked. A kind of just be the overall audacity to do this right, right beside me.” He also claims that Megan hurled fat-shaming insults at him during the trip.
Following the Ibiza incident, Garcia’s compensation structure was allegedly changed, and he saw a decrease in bookings. Megan notified him in June 2023 that she no longer required his services.
The lawsuit states that Garcia suffered a loss in earnings, physical injuries, and emotional distress due to the alleged behavior. His attorney, Ron Zambrano, said in a statement to NBC News, “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.”
Garcia alleges misclassification as an independent contractor and denial of overtime pay and breaks in the suit, which also outlines alleged employment and wage violations. Garcia is seeking unpaid wages, statutory penalties, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees.
Representatives for Megan Thee Stallion and her management company, Roc Nation, did not immediately respond to NBC News requests for comment.