Woody Allen and wife Soon-Yi Previn’s former personal chef has sued the couple for alleged wrongful termination, claiming he was fired because of his active status in the U.S. Army Reserves and for demanding to be “paid fairly.”
“It was too much for Allen and Previn to accommodate his need for an extra day to complete a mandatory training exercise,” the lawsuit, which was filed by Hermie Fajardo on Tuesday in the Southern District Court of New York, states. “Instead, defendants became tired of plaintiff’s complaints about unpaid wages, and simply decided that a military professional who wanted to be paid fairly was not a good fit to work in the Allen home, violating federal and New York law in the process.
The 21-page legal document, which was obtained by TheWrap, details that the couple and their home manager were “fully aware” of Fajardo’s active military work at the time of his hiring, including that he would need time off in order to complete mandatory training exercises. Allen and Previn employed Fajardo in June with an annual salary of $85,000.
After returning from a training that lasted a day longer than originally scheduled, Fajardo claims he was fired the following month. The complaint goes on to say that Fajardo experienced “instant hostility” from Allen and Previn upon his return to work, and that his “repeated complaints” to them about their “failure to properly withhold taxes from his pay” and “underpayments of his regular gross wages” ultimately motivated their decision to retaliate by firing him.
One of the examples of retaliation Fajardo lists is an instance in which he states the couple “rubbed salt on the wounds” by saying they were “unsatisfied with his cooking,” while the chef says the couple’s house guests repeatedly complimented him. On the monetary end, Fajardo says the couple’s alleged negligence with tax withholdings cut his pockets by $300.
Allen and Previn did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Fajardo is seeking unspecified damages and demands a jury trial.
