Metallica Drummer Lars Ulrich Sued By Former Assistant
Metallica Drummer Lars Ulrich Sued By Former Assistant
February 10, 2011
Metallica star Lars Ulrich has been hit with a lawsuit from his former personal assistant, alleging he failed to pay overtime.
Steven Wiig has filed papers in Marin Superior Court, California claiming he worked up to 70 hours a week while Ulrich was at home and up to 80 hours a week while the band was on tour.
He alleged he worked from 2001 until 2009 taking on duties including chauffeuring, managing the star’s art collection, arranged scheduling and performing numerous errands on request, for which he received $45,000 a year, as well as an oral agreement for annual bonuses.
Wiig claims he did not receive bonuses in 2006 and 2008 – and when he left the job in 2009, he was not paid for the accumulated overtime he’d worked. Wiig says he received a “partial bonus” of $20,000 in December. He is seeking unspecified damages for alleged state and federal labor violations, breach of oral contract and continuing wages.
However, Ulrich’s lawyer, Peter Paterno, has hit back at the claims, insisting Wiig was paid $110,000 a year before bonuses, plus free rent and car.
He tells the Marin Independent Journal, “Lars’ accountant is checking on 2006, but Steve got bonuses in every other year of his employment, deserved or not. Specifically, in 2008, he received an extra $18,000. So it’s not clear what’s motivating this, but it really doesn’t seem to be about his compensation, does it?”
A case management conference is set for June 24th.
Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com and www.starpulse.com