A tax lawyer working for Gucci tried to soak Rihanna for 30 percent of a lucrative endorsement deal after learning the pop star was from Barbados, according to an explosive discrimination suit.
Plaintiff Josephine Robinson says she was working on Rihanna’s contract with the Italian fashion house in 2008 when she got the shocking directive from her boss, international tax counsel Stan Sherwood.
“When Sherwood discovered that Rihanna was from a Caribbean island, he told Robinson to ‘tax the hell out of her’ and find a way to allow Gucci to withhold 30 percent of her fee,” according to Robinson’s suit.
Robinson’s lawyer, Rick Ostrove, explained that the comment was sparked by a dsicussion between his client and Sherwood over a photo shoot for Gucci that Rihanna got paid for which was subject to tax withholding because she wasn’t a US resident. The pop star didn’t want taxes to be withheld, Ostrove said.
The Manhattan federal court filing doesn’t say how much Rihanna was paid for promoting Gucci’s Tattoo Heart accessory collection, but the deal helped her bank $15 million that year, according to the Forbes list of “Top-Earning Young Musicians.”
Robinson, who describes herself as a dark-skinned West Indian Latina, is seeking $5 million in damages for what she calls an unrelenting barrage of racist comments and jokes at her expense by Sherwood and others at Gucci, which she says fired her last year after she complained about the treatment.
“It is shocking that top level officials of a company as esteemed as Gucci would behave in such an inappropriate manner,” Ostrove said.
Reps for Rihanna didn’t return requests for comment, but a Gucci spokeswoman said: “Ms. Robinson’s allegations are completely baseless, and the company will defend itself vigorously against this meritless litigation. The company is confident that it will prevail.”