Lady GaGa Gets Sued By Assistant
Jennifer O'Neill worked for Lady GaGa for 13 months as her personal assistant. Jennifer has filed suit against GaGa claiming she is owed $380,000 in unpaid overtime representing 7,168 hours for which she worked but was not paid. That is a whole lot of hours. There are 2,080 hours in a typical working year. She is alleging she worked those and got paid $75,000 for her trouble , but if she worked another 7,168 hours she must have worked almost every minute of every day.
This kind of goes with what other of GaGa's assistants have said too and who have also sued her for unpaid wages. GaGa's rep says the suit is without merit but I bet the woman gets almost the entire amount.
28 comments:
Personal assistants are on 24 hour call, that's why most are paid so well...I hope she wins her suit.
$75,000 while a lot of money is nothing for what she most probably went through on that tour.
^ exactly. she was probably on duty 24/7
@MISCH, absolutely agree. A personal assistant puts aside her personal life at times because of her boss's constant needs. And if you compare the hard work she puts in with say, a well-paid accountant, she is certainly underpaid for a 24/7 constant high-demanding boss.
A good friend of mine is a personal assistant and has worked for many celebrities throughout the years. You wouldn't believe how many celebrities try to get away with paying shit wages. I'm talking barely over minimum wage with no benefits, not to mention having to be on call 24 hours a day. Oh the stories I could tell...
^don't hold back! Do tell! It's Christmas, the time to share:)
this just solidifies my belief that gaga is just a rich girl tool, though I admit she has talent, though I don't listen to her music.
whining on 60 minutes or something about how she was homeless. seriously gaga? her parents are super wealthy. and then taking advantage of her assistant. sounds about right to me.
The bottom line is Celebs are high maintenance. So don't work for them! You can be a P.A. for a regular family and get paid well.
Yes, please do tell Zuzu! :-)
I think celebs feel like it's such an honor to work for them, that's pay enough.
I read an article about this & the girl is complaining about having to give Gaga a towel after G's shower and having to be G's personal alarm clock. The PA's complaints seemed extreme...isn't this what a PA does? She should have negotiated a higher salary & OT before taking the job.
Miss X, I saw that story's spin too and am so grateful Enty put his foot firmly in that blogger's ass.
Zuzu...please spill
Zuzu, we won't tell anyone.. Honest!
@Zuzu - don't believe the hype: It is perfectly alright to submit to peer pressure.
Spill Zuzu, spill!
the girl probably just got tired of having to hold the coke and not being paid enough to run the risk.
A lot of people think being a PA is glamorous, but the reality is far different. You are on call 24/7 and cannot have a life.
If the allegations are true (highly likely!) then Gaga's getting off easy paying "almost the entire amount". I don't know if this was brought under Californian or federal law, but the FLSA allows for a double whammy as "liquidated damages". i.e., "I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I screwed her over anyway."
And as to your comments about how PAs should know what they're in for? That's not a defense under FLSA statutes.
Me and a co-worker called the labor dept and reported our former employers. They paid us straight time for overtime not time and 1/2. I was a sucker and accepted it until my friend set me straight. Lets just say it was sweet victory hearing the labor board busted them and I got a nice check for back pay after I had quit.
Labor dept is very clear on who gets flat pay and who is eligible for overtime. Assistants are not management and do not fall under flat pay checks. If she was on call 24/7 then that is what her salary is. If she wasn't given a day off then she gets paid for it.
TMZ was acting like she was whiny and the law is the law. Assistants should not be treated like indentured slaves.
I blame chick lit books and Hollywood movies for making the job of a celebrity's PA look glamorous, and making people want to become PAs in real life. The fictional PA girls always end up doing things like going to the Oscars with their boss and wearing designer clothes and driving the boss around in flashy cars and fucking hot celebrity men they meet at at industry parties they tag along to.
From what I've heard, in real life the job of a PA actually entails getting screamed at a lot and doing things like buying the boss toilet paper and groceries-and all for a lousy salary. Not exactly glam like fiction makes it out to be.
If this girl really worked all these unpaid hours she deserves to win her suit. I myself am sick of Lady Gaga and think she's nothing more than a cog in a machine.
Years ago a personal assistant aquaintance of mine went to work for Ben Stiller. He was newly married at the time. Well, a couple of weeks into the job she was informed by Mr. Stiller that one of her duties was to give him blow jobs. Seriously. Not surprisingly, she quit. Soon after, Stiller hired a production assistant on the film he was working on to be his PA. Apparently she was okay with all the duties of the position. My aquaintance never sued Stiller for harassment because she was fairly new to the personal assistant game and didn't want to be blacklisted. True story.
I agree with most commenters that SOME celebs can be mean but I've been a PA for a few celebs and never had any problems. I've been paid well, treated fairly and had lots of perks.
Sadly, Zuzu I interviewed for Ben Stiller about 3 years ago and "that" never came up in conversation-but I have heard odd things about him-which is why I didn't take the job. Zuzu is your friends first initial M? I think I might know her...
@ZuZu interesting that actually sounds similar to a blind item enty posted awhile ago about an actor getting b-jobs from his assistant. Though I think that one the actor wasn't married.
I have heard more not nice things about Ben that nice things. He does do a lot of charity for Haiti but that's about it.
@Zuzu - wow, Ben Stiller! I wonder how entitled a prick you have to be, to straight out say that a new task was added to your job description, and it's blowjob! Do you report it to the wife?
Girltrav was right to say no!
Zuzu, thanks for sharing with us! What a prick! (Pun accidental.)
What is a 40-year-old doing being a PA to a 25-year-old?
What did she do before this? Clearly she wasn't a PA. Yes, you keep the person you assist on schedule, which means, yes you get up before they do. Yes, you make sure their hotel room is properly stocked with whatever they need - towels probably the least of it.
If she is entitled to overtime and didn't get it, fine. BTW, she is not suing Gaga but the touring company. But WTF did she think the job entailed?
@Girltrav-- It's been quite a few years so I don't remember her name (I could make a call and find out if I had to), but she was a blonde and not American, if that helps...
I will add that I also knew someone who worked for Sarah Jessica Parker during her Robert Downey Jr. years. I was told she was a dream to work for. A great boss and later a great friend, apparently.
The PA was 40? How the hell did she do this job? Does she have a hubby? A significant other? Any kids? Aging parents? I can't fathom doing that job at 40. I can see a younger person doing it for the travel, but once you hit 30, stability becomes attractive.
Stability is generally attractive at that age if you haven't had it. Some people who have lived unexciting, mundane lives jump at the chance to try something new and travel the world regardless of age. And 40 isn't exactly 65.
Wow! Some amazing stories here. Just when does it cease being a job and become slavery?!?!?!
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