Kim Kardashian is being ‘sued by former employees over unpaid wages and no meal breaks’

Reality star’s representative says: ‘Kim has never not paid a vendor for their services’

(AFP via Getty Images)

Kim Kardashian is reportedly being sued by former employees who allege that she did not pay them the wages they are owed and did not allow them to take meal breaks.

According to the court documents, filed Monday in Los Angeles and obtained by TMZ, the reality star is being sued by seven former members of her staff, who worked at her $60m Hidden Hills home as gardeners and maintenance staff.

In the lawsuit, the employees claimed that they were told they were being hired as full-time staff, but were then treated as independent contractors.

The lawsuit also alleged that Kardashian never paid wages on time, did not hand out itemised pay stubs, and that she kept a portion of the wages for tax, which she then failed to hand over to the government, the Daily Mail reported.

According to the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star’s former staff, she also failed to keep track of the hours worked, and failed to pay the employees for overtime.

In the documents, one of the former gardeners reportedly claimed that, when he asked Kardashian directly about overtime and meal breaks, he was fired immediately, while another employee, who is 16, said he was made to work past the maximum 48 hours allowed when school is not in session.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Frank Kim of law firm Kim Legal, who is representing the former staff, said: “Wage theft and other workplace violations are a widespread problem in Los Angeles.

“My firm is currently investigating other potential violations against these defendants, as well as other powerful families and businesses on behalf of everyday workers.”

However, a representative for Kardashian has denied the accusations on the basis that the employees were hired through a “third-party vendor”.

“These workers were hired and paid through a third-party vendor hired by Kim to provide ongoing services,” the representative told Page Six. “Kim is not party to the agreement made between the vendor and their workers, therefore she is not responsible for how the vendor manages their business and the agreements they have made directly with their staff.

“Kim has never not paid a vendor for their services and hopes that the issue between these workers and the vendor who hired them can be amicably resolved soon.”

Kardashian, who has launched a number of successful business ventures, including Skims and KKW Beauty, is worth $1bn, according to Forbes.

The Independent has contacted a representative for Kardashian for comment.