Who hasn’t fantasized about leaving a job, a la Tom Cruise in Jerry Maquire? Making a huge scene, telling everybody exactly what you think about the company and each toxic element while leaving in a ceremonious triumph… Call it the fallout of corporate culture, poetic justice, serendipity, bitterness or what-have-you, the fever dream of many is to leave a workplace for objectively greener pastures while sparing no feelings.
Well, something is afoot, as they say, at Yeezy, a $1.5 Billion shoe and fashion empire started in 2019 by the mercurial Kanye West.
Apparently, a young man under the employ of West’s Yeezy brand had similar ambitions. Ryan Inwards, a summer intern, allegedly posted a number of unauthorized photos to the organization’s Instagram page, which was a violation of a previously signed Non Disclosure Agreement.
That agreement included an upfront liquidated damages provision – to the tune of $500,000- an amount typically intended to discourage any willfully malevolent behavior. Nevertheless, that prohibitive measure was not heeded and Yeezy filed a complaint with the Los Angeles County Superior Court based on it.
Inwards is being sued for breach of contract and conversion, with Yeezy utilizing every cent of the $500,000 provisional amount for damages under the belief that Inwards actions were deliberate and made out of spite. The filed complaint seeks the return of the unpermitted images and a ban from access to the company’s Instagram account, as Inwards hasn’t complied with requests to remove the pictures at the time of filing despite being sent a numerous cease and desist letters.