Latest news with #workplaceabuse
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Netflix investigates mistreatment claims on set of K-drama ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines'
Netflix is investigating allegations of mistreatment on the set of its South Korean drama series When Life Gives You Tangerines, after accusations of extras facing abuse and neglect surfaced on social media. Earlier this week, numerous anonymous users took to X, formerly Twitter, to accuse the production of workplace abuse during filming. The posts alleged that extras were given inadequate protection from the cold weather and were forced to cut their hair to make wearing wigs easier, among other complaints. Other users claimed that the production crew tried to cut their wages and that they were not provided with funds for accommodation, despite having had to travel to different regions to work on set. None of the users have been verified to be actual workers from the show yet, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. 'We are currently reviewing the facts surrounding the incident,' a Netflix spokesperson said on Wednesday, according to The Korea Times.
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
Ex-Assistant to Sean ‘Diddy' Combs Testifies He Physically and Sexually Assaulted Her
A former personal assistant to Sean 'Diddy' Combs testified Thursday that the music mogul sexually and physically assaulted her on the job and sometimes forced her to work for days without breaks. The former staffer, identified by the pseudonym Mia, said Combs routinely belittled and attacked her while she worked for him from 2009 to 2017. She had to ask permission to leave the Grammy winner's house, she said during her testimony at Combs's sex-trafficking case in New York federal court.
Sky News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Diddy trial live: Former assistant says rapper sexually assaulted her - after stylist recalls 'attack'
Alleged victim had breakdown after working for five days without sleep, court hears Prosecutor Madison Smyser asks Mia about how she got the job working for Sean Combs. She says she had several interviews, including one to meet the rapper at his apartment – when he allegedly opened the door in his underwear before later putting clothes on. There was a trial period, she says, and on her first day she ended up working through the night until 1pm the following day. Asked how much sleep she had in her first 24 hours, Mia replies: "I didn't." She says she felt it was like a "challenge" for her trial period, "it was kind of like how it is". Smyser asks her for details of the longest period she had without sleep, and she tells the court: "Five days. We were travelling... there was always things going on." Mia says she was taking a prescription drug which would "allow me to function without sleep". She says she eventually had a physical breakdown and her hearing went. "It felt like I was underwater," she says. At that point, she says Combs allowed her to sleep. 'Mia' tells court Diddy sexually assaulted her 'Mia', one of Combs's former assistants, is on the stand. Madison Smyser is asking questions for the prosecution. She tells the court where she is from and says she knows Sean Combs by his various names – he has been known as Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Diddy and Love over the years – but that she called him Puff. Mia says she was employed by Combs for several years and describes the environment as "chaotic" and "toxic". Working for the hip-hop mogul could also be exciting, she says, and the "highs were really high" – but equally, "the lows were really low". Mia continues: "Puff's mood determined the environment, he threw things at me, threw me against the wall, threw me in the pool." She says he also sexually assaulted her. Asked if this was on one occasion or more, she replies: "More than one occasion." Alleged victim 'Mia' called to witness stand The prosecution is now calling alleged victim "Mia" to the witness stand. Judge Arub Subramanian tells jurors she is using a pseudonym to protect her privacy. This does not give her testimony any greater or lesser weight, he tells them, adding that no one should document details of her in notes or sketches. Stylist reached out to Diddy after death of Kim Porter, court hears Defence lawyer Xavier Donaldson is now asking stylist Deonte Nash about the late Kim Porter, who was also a long-term partner of Sean Combs. They were together from about 1994 to 2007, which is when he started seeing Cassie. Combs and Porter had three children together, and he also raised and adopted her oldest son, Quincy – who has been in court for parts of the trial, along with some of the rapper's other children. Porter died of pneumonia in 2018. Nash is asked if he was aware how close Combs and Porter were. "Absolutely," he responds. When she died, Nash confirms he reached out to Combs to say he was there for him and called to make sure he was okay. Donaldson finishes with his cross-examination after some frustration from Judge Arun Subramanian over his slow pace. 'I was exhausted,' Cassie's stylist friend says, when asked about reaction to 'freak off' plans Deonte Nash, a celebrity stylist and friend of Cassie's, is now being asked about New Year's Eve in 2016. He was with Sean "Diddy" Combs and Cassie in Las Vegas, the court hears, and at one point he and Cassie returned to their hotel and went back to her room. "Just enjoying yourself," defence attorney Xavier Donaldson asks. "Correct," Nash replies. He confirms Cassie then told him to leave the room as a man was coming over. Donaldson: "Your reaction was a sigh?" Nash: "Yes" Donaldson: "You didn't say, 'What are you doing, girl?'" Nash: "No, I was exhausted." He adds he did not see Cassie immediately after this as she and Combs then travelled to Mexico. Cassie kept 'freak offs' from stylist friend for several years, court hears The defence's cross-examination of stylist Deonte Nash now goes back to the alleged violent incident mentioned earlier (14.38 post), in which Cassie cut her head. Nash apparently saw alleged victim "Mia" video calling Cassie on Facetime and saw she had a black eye, attorney Xavier Donaldson says. "Yes," the stylist replies. Asked if he saw a picture or a video, he says no, but he "saw it in person, when her make-up wears off you can see it". Cassie had a press event about a week later, he adds. Donaldson then returns to Nash's testimony about a time in 2013 when Ventura told him that sex videos Combs was allegedly threatening to release publicly showed her with other men. Cassie has accused Combs of forcing and coercing her into "freak offs", sexual encounters with male escorts, and claims he filmed them and made threats about the footage. Yesterday, the court heard that prior to 2013, Nash had told Cassie not to worry, as he thought Combs was also in the footage and therefore wouldn't jeopardise his own reputation. Nash, who has been friends with Cassie since 2008, confirms this was the first time he learnt she was having sex with other men. "That part of her life she kept from you?" Donaldson asks. "Yes," Nash replies. Stylist tells court he set Cassie up with actor Michael B Jordan Stylist Deonte Nash now confirms he has been friends with Cassie for 15 years and speaks to her every day. He tells the court that he knows of Kid Cudi – the rapper Cassie had a brief relationship with in 2011 – but he did not know the romance overlapped with Cassie's on-off relationship with Sean Combs. He says Cassie did not tell him that she and Combs had broken up, but "people on the team said it". Questioning by defence lawyer Xavier Donaldson now turns to 2015, when Cassie spent time in South Africa to shoot a film. "Mia", another alleged victim who will testify later today, was also there. Another stylist saw Diddy with another woman in Miami at around this time, the court hears. Nash tells jurors that when Cassie heard, she said something like: "Why is he out humiliating me, trying to ruin my career?" Donaldson then asks about the actor Michael B Jordan, star of Black Panther and the Creed films, whose name has come up previously during the trial. "Yes, I did hook her up with Michael B Jordan," Nash says. "I know where we're going with this. He's fine, she's fine. I mean, why not?" Nash, who has been reminded by Judge Arun Subramanian to stick to answering the questions put to him, says Cassie was not with Diddy at this point. Donaldson also asks about another of Cassie's relationships, which Nash says at first that he doesn't know anything about. Then he adds: "Oh, the cute football player? Yes." This was close to 2017, he says. Stylist explains why he didn't give full details of alleged attack on Cassie by Diddy Attorney Xavier Donaldson is asking questions for the defence and starts by checking how stylist Deonte Nash is doing. "Blessed," he replies. The cross-examination turns to Capricorn Clark, a former employee of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who gave evidence on Tuesday. Clark alleged that in 2011, Diddy kidnapped her at gunpoint when he went to confront rival rapper Kid Cudi after learning he had been seeing his then on-off partner Cassie. Nash says he "learned a lot from" Clark while she was employed at Diddy's Bad Boy Records and that they worked together in 2016 for Cassie's song Love A Loser, which was released in 2017. Asked about Cassie's styling around that time, Nash says it was "curated" and that they needed approval from Diddy, which they got. Donaldson then asks about an incident in which Cassie "suffered a gash on her head", which came up during Nash's evidence yesterday. The stylist said he was at Cassie's apartment, helping her pack for a music festival, when Diddy stormed in, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her off a couch and hit her repeatedly. Mr Nash said he and alleged victim Mia – set to give evidence later – jumped on the rapper's back in an attempt to get him to stop. Donaldson asks Nash to confirm he saw Cassie hit her head on a bed frame and he confirms he did. Asked if Diddy "kept kicking her", he replies: "Yes." The defence lawyer says Nash met with the government many times when questioned about this case, but never mentioned the kicking. "They didn't ask," Nash replies. He says he gave as little information as possible and only answered what he was asked. Remember, he has been subpoenaed – legally ordered – to give evidence in court. Stylist Deonte Nash returns to the stand After further legal discussions, stylist Deonte Nash is now returning to the stand to give evidence. Today he is wearing a white shirt, a jacket and a large pair of jeans. Sean "Diddy" Combs is wearing a cream sweater over a white shirt. The plan was for Nash's evidence to finish yesterday but cross-examination took longer than anticipated. Nash has been subpoenaed to give evidence – meaning he is there following a legal order – and he made it clear yesterday it was not his choice to be in court. Jurors now hear he has a flight at 2pm New York time – 7pm here in the UK – and prosecutor Maurene Comey says she hopes he can make it. Motion to strike expert witness testimony denied by judge Before the trial resumes hearing evidence, there are a few legal matters to tend to. A motion was made by the defence to strike testimony given by psychologist Dawn Hughes last week – which Judge Arun Subramanian has now denied. She told the court victims of abuse often experience a "low sense of self" and tend to stay with abusers because they yearn for the love and compassion experienced in a relationship's early "honeymoon phase". Hughes, who appeared as an expert witness – meaning she has specialised knowledge in her particular field but is not involved directly in the case – also explained how a victim's memory can sometimes become jumbled; retaining awareness of abuse, but mixing up details. She did not examine Cassie or Combs, the court heard. The defence's argument that her testimony was "pseudoscience" was rejected by the judge.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- The Independent
‘Ape,' ‘monkey' and worse: Former Chick-fil-A employee accuses coworkers of monstrous racist abuse
A Black employee at a Chick-fil-A franchise in Idaho says he endured more than a half-year of racist abuse from coworkers who, among other things, called him the 'n-word,' referred to him as an 'ape,' a 'monkey' and threatened to cage him like an animal, according to a harrowing discrimination lawsuit obtained by The Independent. 'Of course he works at Chick-fil-A; he's Black, so he loves chicken,' one of Thomas Wade's colleagues allegedly said as he stood by in shock. After Wade went to higher-ups about the vile abuse, which his complaint contends also included at least one simulated 'slave whipping,' he was promptly fired. Meanwhile, management let multiple instances of sexual harassment slide because the accused happened to be the boss's son, according to Wade's complaint, which was filed March 13 in a federal court in Pocatello, Idaho. On Tuesday, a Chick-fil-A spokesperson told The Independent, 'This matter involves a franchisee, not Chick-fil-A, Inc. Franchisees are independent operators responsible for all employment decisions in their restaurants. Chick-fil-A, Inc. is not involved in or aware of their employment matters.' The franchisee, Lauren Mosteller, Inc. of Woodstock, Georgia, responded in court to the allegations on May 7, denying 'each and every' one of Wade's claims. Apart from calling for dismissal on a slew of technicalities, the response deemed the offending conduct 'groundless,' and 'isolated and sporadic,' and thus, 'insufficient to establish a hostile work environment.' The lawyers representing Mosteller, Inc., listed in court papers as 'doing business as Chick-fil-A,' did not respond to requests for comment. In an email, attorney Ryan Dustin, who is representing Wade, told The Independent, '[D]ue to the ongoing litigation, we have no comment at this time.' A conservative fast-food chain founded in 1967 by a devout Southern Baptist who decreed all stores would be closed in Sundays, Chick-fil-A's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage proudly states that its 'corporate purpose' is 'To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.' In 2020, the founder's son, Chick-fil-A chairman Dan Cathy – who has been extremely vocal about his opposition to marriage equality – spoke out in support of the Black community following the death of George Floyd while in police custody. 'Let's be moved to action,' Cathy wrote on his personal LinkedIn profile. 'Let's join together to build a world that reflects God's love for all of us. At the same time, Chick-fil-A franchises in various parts of the U.S. have faced accusations of anti-Black bigotry. Last year, a Maryland man went public after a Chick-fil-A drive-thru order was labeled with the word 'monkeys,' rather than his name, Marquise. In Pennsylvania, a Chick-fil-A manager reportedly forced a Black employee to stand outside in a violent thunderstorm while calling others back into the store. Still, the mere existence of its DEI program has drawn the ire of the American right for being too 'woke.' Wade began working as a cook on the 'back of house crew' at an Idaho Falls Chick-fil-A in December 2022, according to his complaint. Shortly after getting hired, Wade applied to take part in Chick-fil-A's ' Leadership Development Program,' but was passed over in favor of a white male employee, the complaint states. The next couple of months went by largely uneventfully, according to the complaint. Then, in March 2023, Wade stepped in after seeing two coworkers, one of them his supervisor's son, 'antagonizing a third employee,' the complaint goes on. 'In response to his attempts to intervene and diffuse the situation, [the son] told [Wade], 'Shut up ape, before I put you in a cage,'' the complaint continues. When Wade replied that he would report their behavior to management, the supervisor's son called him 'monkey-looking-ass,' and warned him that 'my parents own this store,' according to the complaint. But, it maintains, when Wade told his supervisor about what had happened, the manager 'did nothing.' The supervisor, Eric Ibarra, and his family are not named as defendants in Wade's lawsuit. Ibarra was unable to be reached for comment. Distressed, the complaint says Wade took two days off 'to give himself some space.' When he went back to work, several other of Ibarra's relatives, who all worked at the same Chick-fil-A, 'resumed making racist comments, which occurred over the next seven months.' In addition to them calling Wade the n-word and likening him to an ape, and a monkey, they at one point told him he was a piece of 'antique farming equipment,' in reference to slavery, according to the complaint. On one occasion, the complaint says Wade walked in on another of Ibarra's sons whipping a colleague with a towel, after which they told Wade that 'he would know about getting whipped since he is Black.' In another instance, Wade heard one of Ibarra's three daughters say he 'look[ed] like a monkey, [and] act[ed] like a monkey,' the complaint alleges. Over the summer of 2023, Wade was subjected to a barrage of racist taunts and remarks, called a 'back of house monkey,' and was shocked to find a variation of the n-word written on the kitchen freezer, according to the complaint. It says Wade's formal grievances continued to go nowhere. However, Ibarra's family members went on acting out with apparent impunity, the complaint asserts. In July 2023, when another one of Ibarra's sons was suspended for sexually harassing a coworker, and continued to do so upon his return, he was fired, according to the complaint. Yet, a month later, he was hired back, the complaint states. In all, Wade made between 25 and 30 reports to Chick-fil-A management about the nonstop racism he was experiencing, according to the complaint. On October 16, 2023, Wade was terminated 'because [he] refused to tolerate and continued to report racist behavior and comments by his coworkers,' the complaint concludes. It alleges the company 'believed it would be easier to terminate [Wade's] employment than take any action to stop the other employees' discriminatory behavior.' This February, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued Wade a 'right to sue' letter, allowing him to initiate the legal process. The following month, he did. Wade's lawsuit seeks to hold Lauren Mosteller, Inc., 'doing business as Chick-fil-A,' for discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, in addition to two sections of Idaho's Human Rights Act. He is seeking compensatory, general, statutory, and punitive damages, plus court costs and attorneys' fees. An in-court status conference is scheduled for July 7.
The Sun
16-05-2025
- The Sun
Chelsea co-owner Hansjorg Wyss, 89, accused of sexual harassment after ‘groping young employee & suggesting a foursome'
CHELSEA co-owner Hansjorg Wyss has been accused of sexual harassment after allegedly groping a young employee, a lawsuit claimed. It has also been claimed the 89-year-old suggested a foursome to the female staff member, 30. 3 The alleged harassment took place at a winery he owns in Paso Robles, California, called Halter Ranch. Wyss is accused of making unwanted advances to Madison Busby, who worked at the site. The winery was managed by her now-husband Bryce Mullins. The lawsuit stated: 'While Ms Busby cooked at the stove, Mr Wyss, then in his mid-eighties and married, deliberately placed his hand on Ms Busby's butt and groped her." Wyss also allegedly asked Mr Mullins if he had any sexual photographs of Ms Busby on his phone. A spokesperson from Halter Ranch strongly denied all allegations. 'We intend to vigorously advance the facts that surround their time at the winery and their departure,' a statement said. The lawsuit stated how Ms Busby moved into the winery with her now-husband in 2020 and became a staff member in 2021. During the stay, it is alleged Wyss made "several sexual propositions" towards the 30-year-old employee. He is also accused of sharing explicit sexual stories with the couple and sharing tales of affairs. Once Ms Busby became an official employee, the lawsuit also claims Wyss pushed for threesomes with herself and Mr Mullins - as well as other people. She did not make any complaints at the time over fears they would lose their jobs, it is claimed. The 30-year-old left the winery in 2024 and has since filed the lawsuit. In a statement denying the allegations, Halter Ranch added: 'For almost five years, starting in 2019, Mr Mullins and his current wife voluntarily made themselves part of the Halter Winery community and took advantage of its owner's generosity. 'This included deciding to become employees of the winery, choosing to live at the winery rent free for years, frequently travelling with the owner to Europe, the Caribbean and elsewhere at the owner's expense, asking the owner and his wife to host their wedding party and inviting the owner to serve as best man. 'Through all these years, they never complained about the owner's conduct, or simply declined to spend so much time with him, until after they voluntarily left their employment at the winery in 2024.' Wyss has an estimated net worth of £4.2 billion according to Forbes. He is the founder of Synthes USA, the world's largest medical device manufacturer making internal screws and plates for broken bones. They manufactured the company's devices and exported them to the US which led to the billionaire opening up his first manufacturing plant in Colorado. Under Wyss' guidance, the American division sales team expanded and trained surgeons on how to use its products such as plates and internal screws. This helped him to officially became Synthes' worldwide CEO and chairman until HR decided in 2007 that he would only want to represent as the chairman before Johnson & Johnson acquired Synthes in 2012. Wyss sold Synthes for a staggering amount of £14.7bn in cash and stocks where he would go on to purchase stakes in a publicly-traded biotech companies NovoCure and Molecular. In 2022, Wyss was part of the consortium that bought Chelsea after sanctions were imposed on the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Chelsea FC were contacted for comment.
