Kanye West is defending his choice to fire a former employee for refusing to shave off his locs as a term of employment.
Benjamin Deshon Provo, a former security guard at the Donda Academy, filed a lawsuit against Ye back in April for what he claims was an unjust and racially motivated firing.
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According to new documents published by In Touch Weekly on Wednesday (June 12), the Chicago native and his legal team are asking a judge to toss out the lawsuit, denying all allegations of wrongdoing
“Defendants are informed and believe, and based on such information and belief allege that Defendants were justified in doing any and/or all of the acts alleged in the Complaint,” the response reads.
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The Yeezy boss also reportedly denied he had “authorized, directed or ratified any alleged wrongful behavior” and that his decisions were always “undertaken in the good-faith exercise of a legitimate business purpose.”
His legal team also accused Provo of having “unreasonably failed to utilize, take advantage of, and/or comply with Defendants’ complaint/accommodation procedures.”
Ye wants the complaint to be dismissed and his attorney fees to be covered — a judge has not yet ruled on this proposition.
Court documents obtained by Page Six and filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court back over the spring allege that Provo suffered “severe emotional distress” as a result of West’s behavior.
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“Kanye and members of his management team subjected Provo and other black employees to less favorable treatment than their white counterparts,” the lawsuit states. “Specifically, Kanye frequently screamed at and berated black employees, while in contrast, he never so much as raised his tone of voice toward white staff.”
He also alleged that Kanye would ridicule his Black employees for their locs, even though Provo mentioned he did so because it was part of his Muslim faith.
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In addition to being forced to cut his hair, he alleged that West had also banned books by prominent Black leaders, including Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
Provo hasn’t requested a specific amount in damages in his lawsuit.
