Megan Thee Stallion is being sued by her former cameraman, Emilio Garcia, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, according to a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, Apr. 23, in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The suit obtained by NBC News outlines Garcia’s claims, alleging that he had been trapped in a moving vehicle with the Houston rapper in Ibiza while she engaged in sexual activity with another woman. Following this incident, Garcia says he was cautioned not to discuss what he witnessed and was subsequently subjected to beratement, fat-shaming, and differential treatment by Megan.
“What I learned throughout the years is that, especially coming from an from an office environment, is you know, there’s no HR department in the entertainment business,” Garcia told NBC News in an interview. “So if you don’t know that you’re being done wrong, you don’t really know how to advocate for yourself until you start asking maybe you start asking your peers who have representation, they have agents, they have management, they have attorney. So I just really just want to encourage people to advocate for themselves.”
Garcia also stated in the lawsuit that the severity and frequency of the harassment created an intolerable work environment. Garcia began his role as Megan Thee Stallion’s personal cameraman in 2018, continuing until June 2023. Seeking compensation of over six figures, Garcia’s lawsuit requests unpaid wages, overtime pay, and other benefits as per California labor laws, along with statutory penalties and punitive damages.
Following the Ibiza incident, Garcia claims his payment structure shifted from a flat monthly rate to a task-based system requiring invoice submissions for each assignment. Subsequently, he was terminated in June 2023 by Roc Nation, with notification that his services were no longer needed.
“Megan just needs to pay our client what he’s due, own up to her behavior and quit this sort of sexual harassment and fat shaming conduct,” said Ron Zambrano, an attorney for Garcia, in a statement to NBC News. “Emilio should never have been put in a position of having to be in the vehicle with her while she had sex with another woman. ‘Inappropriate’ is putting it lightly. Exposing this behavior to employees is definitely illegal.”
