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Former Yeezy App Workers Allege Hostile Workplace and Unpaid Wages in Lawsuit

Eight former workers alleged unpaid wages and hostile treatment while working on Ye’s YZY Vision app. A 2026 report describes a limited ruling on overseas FLSA wage claims, not a resolution of the entire case.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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Eight former workers who said they developed and promoted Ye’s YZY Vision app sued Yeezy LLC, Ye (formerly Kanye West), and Milo Yiannopoulos in federal court in 2024. Their complaint alleged unpaid wages, long hours, and discriminatory and hostile treatment. A 2026 report describes a defense win on some federal wage claims involving work performed overseas; it does not establish the outcome of every claim in the case.

Which lawsuit is this?

The case is DaCosta et al. v. Yeezy LLC et al., No. 2:24-cv-05547. Eight plaintiffs filed it on June 29, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The defendants named in the complaint are Yeezy LLC, Ye (formerly Kanye West), and Milo Yiannopoulos. The complaint says the plaintiffs worked on development and promotion of the YZY Vision app, described in contemporaneous coverage as a planned streaming platform connected to Ye’s album promotion.

This is distinct from former Donda Academy employee Trevor Phillips’s lawsuit and from Tony Saxon’s case concerning renovations at Ye’s Malibu property. Saxon’s separate case resulted in a jury award reported by the Los Angeles Times in March 2026; that was not a decision in the app-worker case. Los Angeles Times coverage of the Saxon case.

What did the former workers allege?

The complaint included eight plaintiffs, four of them minors. According to the filing, they worked long hours and were not paid wages they said had been promised. They also alleged demeaning and discriminatory treatment related to race, age, gender, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. The complaint further alleged the use of terms including “slaves” and “new slaves,” exposure to pornographic material in work communications, and pressure on minor developers.

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These are allegations in a complaint, not established findings. The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times reported the claims as allegations when covering the case in 2024. The Washington Post’s June 30, 2024 report; Los Angeles Times coverage.

What claims did the complaint bring?

The plaintiffs asserted claims under several legal theories, including:

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  • Forced labor under the Alien Tort Statute.
  • Failure to pay minimum wage and overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
  • Hostile work environment, discrimination, and failure to prevent harassment under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).
  • Fraud and quantum meruit, a claim seeking payment for the reasonable value of work or services.

The complaint requested damages and a jury trial. The claims and requested relief in a filing should not be mistaken for a court’s findings or award. Complaint, Case No. 2:24-cv-05547, filed June 29, 2024.

How did Yiannopoulos and Ye respond?

The Washington Post reported that Yiannopoulos, then described as Ye’s chief of staff, denied the allegations and called the lawsuit “a joke” and “the most dishonest thing I’ve ever seen filed with a court.” The Los Angeles Times also reported his denial. The Post said Ye’s attorney did not immediately respond to its request for comment; that is not evidence of either a denial or an admission. The Washington Post, June 30, 2024; Los Angeles Times, July 2, 2024, updated July 3, 2024.

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What happened to the wage claims?

A Law360 report dated April 6, 2026, said Yeezy defeated overseas app developers’ federal minimum-wage and overtime claims after a California federal judge ruled that the FLSA does not apply to work performed outside the United States. The reported ruling is limited: it concerns the FLSA claims of overseas workers and does not, by itself, decide claims involving U.S.-based work or resolve the plaintiffs’ other legal theories. Law360’s April 6, 2026 case report.

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Did the former employees win the lawsuit?

Not as a whole, based on the available reporting. The April 2026 report describes Yeezy prevailing on the overseas developers’ FLSA minimum-wage and overtime claims. The current disposition of the non-FLSA claims is not established by the cited coverage, so it would be inaccurate to say that the entire lawsuit was dismissed, settled, or decided. The reported overseas-work ruling also does not establish the result of any claims tied to work in the United States.

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