NEW YORK (AP) — Woody Allen ‘s former private chef claims in a lawsuit that the filmmaker and his spouse fired him due to his service within the U.S. Military Reserves and questions on his pay, then “rubbed salt on the wounds” by saying they did not like his cooking.
Allen and Quickly-Yi Previn “simply decided that a military professional who wanted to be paid fairly was not a good fit to work in the Allen home,” personal chef Hermie Fajardo stated in a civil grievance filed Tuesday in federal court docket in Manhattan.
Allen and Previn knew Fajardo would want time without work for army coaching workout routines after they and their residence supervisor employed him as their full-time chef in June 2024 at an annual wage of $85,000, the grievance stated. However he was fired the next month, quickly after coming back from a coaching that lasted a day longer than anticipated, it stated.
When Fajardo returned to work, “he was immediately met with instant hostility and obvious resentment by defendants,” in line with the prolonged grievance.
On the time, Fajardo had been elevating issues about his pay — first that his employers weren’t correctly withholding taxes or offering a paystub, then that they shortchanged him by $300, in line with the grievance.
Allen, Previn and supervisor Pamela Steigmeyer are accused within the lawsuit of violating the federal Uniformed Companies Employment and Reemployment Rights Act and New York labor legislation, in addition to inflicting Fajardo humiliation, stress and a lack of earnings.
Representatives for Allen didn’t instantly reply to emails looking for remark.
Fajardo stated he was employed after being showered with compliments following a meal of roasted rooster, pasta, chocolate cake and apple pie he ready for the defendants and two friends. In keeping with the grievance, it was solely after Previn fired him and he employed a lawyer that he was informed his cooking was lower than par, a declare Fajardo stated was unfaithful.
