A chef for the Kardashian family was sued Monday by a woman who alleges she was exposed to a hostile work environment and forced to resign in 2022 because she could no longer tolerate the chef’s language and disparate conduct toward her and other employees.
The woman is identified only as Jane Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Chef K, an influencer with a large TikTok following whose real name is Khristianne Uy. The multiple causes of action include sexual harassment, discrimination, sexual assault and battery, constructive discharge and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Doe seeks $10 million in damages and attorneys’ fees, plus punitive damages. A message left through Chef K’s booking agency seeking comment was not immediately answered.
The suit describes Doe as a 26-year-old lesbian who met Chef K, who is herself gay, at a Palm Springs music festival in October 2021. Doe found herself resisting Chef K’s sexual advances and later had to fight off attempts to kiss the plaintiff in a restroom, according to the suit.
Despite Doe’s rebuffs, Chef K continued to romantically pursue the plaintiff, who remained friendly so that she could use the connection to advance her career or at least obtain a platonic friendship, the suit states.
Chef K was so “brazen, bold, and felt such a high degree of feeling untouchable” that she used such “gross and detestable phrases as `I don’t hire (N-word plural) because they’re lazy’ and `That’s why these black guys date these Kardashians, they’re (N-word plural), they take what they can get and as you can see, they all end up cheating on them.”’
Chef K also has publicly known close relationships with such other high profile celebrities as Megan Fox, James Charles, Travis Barker and Kylie Jenner, the suit states.
On one occasion when Doe was working an event for Charlize Theron, Chef K told the plaintiff, that her job was to “watch over the staff and look pretty,” according to the suit, which further states that throughout Doe’s employment, Chef K routinely harassed heterosexual male employees based on their sexual orientation.
Chef K also offered Doe and other employees Adderall so they could get through 12-hour shifts without needing breaks, the suit alleges.
“Chef K held a position of power over plaintiff,” the suit states. “Plaintiff found herself worrying about her job security if she displeased Chef K.”
But in July 2022, Doe told Chef K she was cutting off all ties with her and quitting due to the “sexual harassment, assault, battery, discrimination, hostile work environment, quid pro quo sexual harassment and retaliation,” the suit states.