Why Is Lisa Vanderpump Being Sued By Former Employees?
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Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock Lisa Vanderpump and husband Ken Todd were hit with a class-action lawsuit by a former employee who worked at their popular West Hollywood restaurant, SUR, on Friday, July 31.
Why is Lisa Vanderpump being sued?
Lisa Vanderpump is being sued for allegedly not paying her staff for overtime wages at her restaurant SUR, as well as TomTom, Pump, and Villa Blanca.
According to documents obtained by Page Six, former SUR hostess Olivia Hanson alleged that employees were “forced to work over eight hours per day, forty hours per week or even seven consecutive workdays without receiving adequate compensation.”
The documents also allege that management — including Guillermo and Nathalie Zapata, who have both appeared on Vanderpump Rules — “did not properly track staff’s hours, manipulated records and did not grant employees breaks for meals or to rest."
Has Lisa Vanderpump been sued by employees before?
This latest class-action lawsuit is just the tip of the legal iceberg for Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd. The reality television stars and restaurateurs were sued by former employee Adam Pierce Antoine in December of 2019 over similar claims.
Pierce alleged that Ken and Lisa violated California labor laws, failed to pay overtime and minimum wages to employees, and didn’t provide meal breaks for employees.
However, a source familiar with the case stated, “These were two disgruntled ex-employees that had been written up with many warnings by management and subsequently let go. Lisa and Ken do not tolerate anyone that may be abusive to their staff or to patrons.”
That’s not the only lawsuit the former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star has been hit with in the last year. Former employee Damiana Guzman sued the Vanderpump Dog Foundation for sexual harassment and wrongful termination just a few weeks after Vanderpump and Todd were hit with Adam Pierce’s lawsuit.
Guzman claimed that while working as a dog groomer for the foundation, “not a day went by where Duarte [her boss] didn’t make a comment about [her] body, her sexual preference, or his sexual prowess.”
Both cases are still ongoing.
Is this the end of the Vanderpump era?
While Vanderpump Rules and pretty much everything Vanderpump-related is wildly popular among reality TV lovers, this may be the end of the Vanderpump reign.
In June of 2020, former Vanderpump Rules stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute were fired from the hit Bravo TV show after former cast member Faith Stowers called out their racist behavior for calling the cops on her and alleging that she was a criminal. Season 8 newbies Max Boyens and Brett Caprioni were also let go from the show after racist tweets from their past resurfaced.
While some fans were pleased with the swift course of action Bravo took in firing the two former besties, others wanted more of the cast fired for their continuous problematic behavior — specifically, longtime cast member Jax Taylor.
Lisa Vanderpump issued a statement on Stassi and Kristen’s firing, part of which read, “As we’ve seen such devastating sadness that has played out globally, we all have a part to play to create a kinder, more just society. My hope is for this generation to treat each other with respect and humanity, and realize that actions have; and should have, consequences."
Interesting choice of words, considering the current lawsuits against Vanderpump and Todd.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.