Megan Thee Stallion has responded to the lawsuit filed by her former photographer earlier this year, accusing the cameraman of being a scam artist.
On Thursday (May 30), a report from Rolling Stone revealed Megan’s legal team is fiercely countering claims from her former personal cameraman, Emilio Garcia, who’s alleging mistreatment and underpayment.
According to the court filing, Megan’s lawyers, Mari Henderson and Alex Spiro, assert “there is no truth” to Garcia’s accusations of sexual harassment and labor code violations, adding that the allegations are “fabricated” and “outlandish.”
Garcia, who worked for Megan from 2018 to 2023, claimed in his lawsuit that Megan (legal name Megan Pete) failed to pay his overtime, made disparaging remarks about him and engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior in his presence. Specifically, he alleged that Megan engaged in sexual contact with a woman while traveling with him in a moving vehicle in June 2022 in Ibiza, Spain.
Garcia claimed the incident caused him embarrassment. In response to Garcia’s claims, Henderson and Spiro laid out a detailed complaint alleging that the photographer was nothing but a con man, who was terminated due to repeated attempts to scam Megan and her team.
“Plaintiff is a con artist who is manipulating the judicial system to act as his publicist and bullhorn in a desperate attempt to boost his failed singing career while trying to tear down the successful career of Megan thee Stallion,” Henderson and Spiro wrote.
Megan’s legal counsel also argued that Garcia frequently falsified invoices, overcharged for incomplete services and sought reimbursements for unspent money. His pattern of deceit led to his termination in June 2023.
Angered by his dismissal, Garcia filed what Megan’s lawyers describe as a “factually and legally frivolous complaint,” embellishing a routine wage dispute with sensationalist claims to generate media attention and damage Megan’s reputation.
Garcia’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, contends that his termination was retaliatory after he voiced concerns about wage and hour issues to Megan’s makeup artist and considered leaving due to her employing another cameraman.
“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,” Garcia’s attorney, Ron Zambrano, a partner and Employment Litigation Chair at West Coast Employment Lawyers in Los Angeles, said. Zambrano insisted that Garcia should not have been exposed to such inappropriate behavior, labeling it illegal.
In a related move, Megan’s lawyers are seeking to transfer the case to federal court, citing Garcia’s incorrect identification as a California citizen and the misnaming of Roc Nation in the lawsuit. They also pointed out that Garcia’s contract specified New York as the venue for any legal disputes, further challenging the legitimacy of his claims.
“Plaintiff alleged in his complaint both that he was a citizen of California and that Roc Nation, Ms. Pete’s management company, somehow employed him. Both of these allegations are demonstrably false,” the filing stated.
Check out the report above for additional details on the case.