Irving Azoff – a powerhouse music executive who has managed some of the industry’s top acts, including Christina Aguilera, The Eagles and Bon Jovi – is being sued by his former housekeeper for unpaid wages, discrimination and other claims.
According to a lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Sept. 6 and exclusively obtained by Page Six on Thursday, Gloria Martinez is alleging that Azoff and his wife, Shelli Azoff, failed to pay her for overtime, missed meal periods and rest breaks during her more than 10-year run working for the wealthy couple.
The LA-based housekeeper claims she was supposed to be paid $1,500 per week as her purported salary, but instead this rate “varied in amount” from week to week, per the documents.
Martinez, who claims she worked for the Azoffs from 2008 to 2017 and then again from August 2021 to March 2022, also alleges in the lawsuit that she was discriminated against because of her physical disabilities and was “wrongfully terminated” because of accommodations she needed as a result of her medical issues.
The woman shared in the suit that around mid-2021 she began suffering ongoing uterine complications and ovarian issues, including cysts and fibroids that caused her chronic pelvic pain.
She claims she informed Shelli that she would have to undergo a hysterectomy within a year and would have to occasionally miss work for doctor’s appointments.
According to the lawsuit, Martinez claims Shelli began to complain about her needing time off after three doctor’s visits, and Kris Jenner’s close gal pal began expressing that a hysterectomy was “neither a necessary treatment” or the “correct treatment” for her housekeeper’s pelvic pain.
On Feb. 24, 2022, Martinez missed work to undergo a biopsy and claims she provided Shelli with a medical note. Her doctors then asked her for a follow-up appointment on March 10, but the Azoffs allegedly fired her on March 9.
“Defendants’ termination of Martinez’s employment was done with malice and
oppression,” the housekeeper’s lawyers claim in the lawsuit.
“Defendants’ conduct was intended to retaliate against Martinez for having exercised her
right to request reasonable accommodations due to her disability. This constitutes unlawful discrimination and retaliatory discharge in violation of California law.”
Irving, who has held leadership positions in companies like Ticketmaster, Live Nation Entertainment and IMG, has an estimated net worth of $400 million. His impressive client list also includes acts such as Van Halen, Chelsea Handler and Fleetwood Mac.
A 2020 Los Angeles Times profile noted that Irving, 74, and Shelli own homes “all over,” from Beverly Hills to Cabo San Lucas.
Reps for the high-powered businessman did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment and an official response to the complaint has not yet been filed.
Martinez has notified the court that she would like this case to go to a trial.
