A former employee of Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) has sued his company in federal court, accusing the leadership of misconduct, the BBC reported. Lorrayne Mavromatis alleged there was sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation throughout her tenure of employment.
The case was filed in North Carolina and it alleges cases of unhealthy working environment and stress among employees, particularly, women. Donaldson is also mentioned in the suit but he is not a defendant.
The allegations
The company has a toxic work culture, per the lawsuit. Female workers were allegedly not given importance in the male-dominated meetings of the company, Mavromatis claimed. She stated that inappropriate talks were usual, and that grievances about harassment went unattended.
She asserted that bringing up issues resulted in adverse impacts. Rather than action, she encountered opposition. The complaint alleged that women who raised their voices faced retaliation. Mavromatis added that this working environment made it challenging to work freely and safely.
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In the lawsuit, Mavromatis described her experience during her pregnancy. She said that she was afraid of how the leadership would react to the news.
{{/usCountry}}In the lawsuit, Mavromatis described her experience during her pregnancy. She said that she was afraid of how the leadership would react to the news.
{{/usCountry}}She was the first woman to seek maternity leave allowances. This, according to her, contributed to the pressure.
Mavromatis said that she even worked when she was laboring. One of the Slack messages mentioned in reports was a request by one of the colleagues to talk about work ideas the same day when she was giving birth. She even mentioned later that her boss asked her whether she could participate in a team meeting at that time.
She claimed that she was asked to resume work soon after the pregnancy. Activities featured long hours and physically exhausting work. She also claimed that she was requested to go on a shoot soon after giving birth.
Company denies allegations
Mavromatis claimed that she was dismissed some weeks after she had gone on leave. She was informed that her position was being cut.
The Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund supports the lawsuit. One of the representatives has indicated that such cases are just a larger trend in workplaces that have poor accountability.
A spokesperson of Beast Industries dismissed all the claims. The company termed the accusations as false and misleading. It claimed that there is substantial evidence to deny the charges.