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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Hollywood producer Yuri Spiro, CEO of WestWorld Productions Inc., subjected his former executive assistant to antisemitic rants as well as sexual harassment and she finally quit in 2023 because she could no longer work under such intolerable conditions, according to the woman's lawsuit filed Thursday.
Plaintiff Jesseca Harvey's Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges harassment, hostile work environment and wrongful constructive termination, as well as multiple violations of the state Labor Code.
"No one should be subjected to such racism and sexual harassment anywhere, let alone the workplace," said plaintiff's attorney Ronald Zambrano. "Ms. Harvey is a single mom just trying to make a living."
Zambrano further said that disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein and others "had their reckoning" and "now it's Spiro's turn."
A representative for Spiro could not be immediately reached for comment.
Harvey was hired in April 2022 and was misclassified as an independent contractor, leaving her underpaid throughout her employment and denying her protections an employee would be afforded under California law, according to the lawsuit, which further states that the plaintiff "found herself working practically around the clock answering calls and handling tasks for Spiro after she was provided with a phone connected to his to stay on top of his schedule."
Spiro subjected Harvey to harassment and racism as well as a "barrage of relentless sexual innuendos and racist comments plunging her into profound emotional distress," the complaint alleges.
Spiro once told Harvey that she should "loosen up," then said, "You're as stubborn as a virgin during her first time," the suit states.
Spiro also compared the secretary of his homeowners association to "left liberal Nazis" and told Harvey and a salesman at a car dealership that he wanted to change the Mercedes-Benz emblem to a swastika, according to the complaint.
Harvey resigned last July and she still deals with anxiety, depression and physical distress stemming from her former alleged toxic work environment and remains unpaid for some of her work done, the suit states.