It’s been an interesting few weeks for ex-assistant lawsuits, hasn’t it? First Patricia Heaton, and now newly-minted Emmy winner Tyra Banks. TMZ, who apparently has a staffer permanently camped out at the Los Angeles County courthouse, has obtained a copy of a lawsuit against Tyra by one of her former assistants, Richard Thomas:
Thomas is suing for back wages plus a little extra. The complaint says Thomas wants the money for “services rendered as assistant and advisor.”
Exactly what kind of “advising” was he doing? Did he just tell her which of the two wigs she was choosing between looked prettier on her? And doesn’t $5K seem like kind of a small lawsuit? This does not seem to be as juicy as the Patricia Heaton lawsuit, but you never know.
The assistant may be hoping that for such a small amount (to Tyra, anyway) that she’ll just be paid and that’ll be the end of it. It sounds like they’re not out to make Tyra look bad or get their 15 minutes, they just want their money. On the other hand, I’ve only heard bad things about the way Tyra treats people so in that regard, it does seem like a small amount of money. As you said, you never know.