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Beast Industries, the social media company founded by YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, is facing a lawsuit alleging years of sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation by senior leaders.
The lawsuit against MrBeastYouTube LLC and GameChanger 24/7 LLC was filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of North Carolina by former COO for Verticals Lorrayne Mavromati. It does not name Donaldson as a defendant, but makes several allegations about the company’s culture.
Mavromatis, who says she was fired three weeks after returning to work from maternity leave, alleges she was “excluded from otherwise all-male meetings, demeaned in front of colleagues (and) harassed” during her time at the company.
Inc. has reached out to Beast Industries and Donaldson’s lawyers for comment about the lawsuit. In a statement to Peoplehowever, a company spokesperson called the claims “fabricated” and said multiple roles were eliminated in a restructuring.
“This clout-chasing complaint is built on deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements, and we have the receipts to prove it,” said the spokesperson. “There is extensive evidence—including Slack and WhatsApp messages, company documents, and witness testimony—that unequivocally refutes her claims. We will not submit to opportunistic lawyers looking to manufacture a payday from us.”
What’s in the lawsuit
In November 2023, the suit readsMavromatis made a formal complaint that detailed “the sexually inappropriate encounters and harassment, and demeaning and hostile work environment she and other female employees had been living and experiencing.” The following January, she alleges, the claims were found to be ‘unsubstantiated’ and she was immediately transferred to become social media manager for the MrBeastStore, a significant demotion.
In her COO role, she says, she supervised a team of approximately 20 employees. As social media manager for merchandise, she supervised no one and rarely interacted with executives. After returning from maternity leaveshe alleges she was told she was “too high caliber” for her position and was being let go.
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