Two former Donda Academy teachers who sued Kanye West over their time working at his school demanded the musician not be dismissed from their racial discrimination suit — despite his recent plea in court.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, Cecila Hailey, Chekarey Byers, and Timani Meeks opposed Kanye’s request for all claims against him personally to be tossed.
As we previously reported, the teachers sued Donda, Kanye and other Donda in Los Angeles Superior Court last year.
Cecila and Chekarey claimed they were the only black teachers at the school. They said they raised issues about alleged health and safety violations to their supervisors.
In the suit, Cecila claimed teachers were not properly trained on Basic Life Support training at the school nor did it have a proper disciplinary system despite “students being subject to severe bullying.”
“Specifically, they complained that DONDA ACADEMY does not have a proper disciplinary system, as students were being subject to severe bullying. In one incident, a student assaulted an eighth-grade student by slapping her, then attempted to assault another teacher,” the lawsuit read. “The student had multiple accounts of bullying, both physically and verbally, that had gone without discipline. However, there are several students with bullying issues that remain unaddressed. Plaintiff BYERS complained that the student who became violent should be expelled from DONDA ACADEMY.”
In addition, she said the school did not a janitor or a school nurse.
The teachers said Kanye had a series of strict rules that staff and students were expected to follow. They said students were only allowed to eat Sushi at lunch, cleaning products containing chemicals were not allowed, and didn’t allow classes on the second floor because of his alleged fear of stairs.
The teachers said they raised issues but were labeled “aggressive” by supervisors.
A lawyer for the teacher said the teachers, “believe this type of comment facilitates stereotypes about African-American women as being confrontational simply for doing their job and voicing their legitimate concerns in order to provide a safe environment and proper education for their students.”
Cecila and Chekarey were terminated in March 2023, allegedly without justification.
Timani Meeks was added to the lawsuit weeks later. They claimed to have been wrongful terminated from Donda after complaining that students didn't have any textbooks.
The lawsuit demanded unspecified damages.
As we first reported, Kanye asked for all claims against him personally to be dismissed. He claimed he did not employ the teachers but Donda did.
“The truth is, while Donda Academy was in operation as a school, Ye had nothing to do with Donda’s policies, practices, operations, and procedures relating to the payment of employee wages upon termination of employment or the content or timing of employee wage statements. Plaintiffs know that,” his lawyer wrote.
“Hailey and Byers will point to their allegations regarding Ye’s control over the lunches served at Donda Academy or school uniforms for example. But all of those allegations say nothing about Ye’s involvement in any Labor Code violation relating to Hailey’s and Byers’ wage statements or post-termination wages,” his lawyer added.
Now, the teachers have fired back. Their lawyer said, “because Ye is the owner Donda Academy Incorporated, who had a substantial role in dictating Donda’s policy’s including funding which in turn related to employment and the payment of wages. The connection is clear, however Defendant is hoping to avoid liability by ignoring the fact that Ye was the shot caller at Donda, and by operation of that function, Plaintiffs’ employer.”
He added, “Plaintiffs clearly and sufficiently plead that they knew Defendant Ye was in charge of and directed Donda Academy’s policies.”
The lawyer continued,, “Ye had substantial influence and control over the most minute policies of Donda Academy, including what the children were to eat, what they were to wear, what cleaning products were allowed in the school. As all reasonable inferences are to be construed in favor of the Plaintiff in this pleading stage, Defendant Ye’s total control over the minutiae of Donda Academy’s operations."
A judge has yet to rule on Kanye’s motion.
As we previously reported, Kanye was hit with a bombshell lawsuit by another Donda teacher earlier this month.