Inside the MrBeast Lawsuit: The Slack Messages, the Handbook, and the Hospital Bed Meeting

A teenager in North Carolina giving away cars, reenacting Squid Game, and counting to 100,000 on camera are just a few examples of the spectacle that has always been the foundation of the MrBeast empire. Jimmy Donaldson was supposed to walk the red carpet at the TIME100 celebration in New York, but the lawsuit that was filed this week in a federal court in North Carolina is a completely different kind of spectacle. No one is laughing, but the timing seems almost staged.

A “male-centric workplace,” years of sexual harassment, and being fired less than three weeks after returning from maternity leave are all alleged by Lorrayne Mavromatis, a former Head of Creative who once oversaw MrBeast’s Instagram operation. When she was dragged into work, she admitted to the Associated Press that she was still bleeding. She claims that at one point, in the middle of labor, she attended a team meeting from her hospital bed out of fear that refusing would cost her her job. No spokesperson statement can truly reverse the grim specificity of that detail—holding her breath between contractions so no one on the call would hear.

The documents themselves seem to be from a bygone era of tech bro culture. “It’s okay for the boys to be childish” and “Let talent draw crude graffiti on whiteboards if the mood called for it” were allegedly included in a 36-page internal guide titled “How to Succeed in MrBeast Production.” The lawsuit claims that for a significant portion of her employment, the company did not distribute a formal employee handbook. It appears to have been written for a twenty-person garage operation rather than a media company that employs 700 people and produces reality shows on Amazon.

The issue of James Warren, the former CEO and Donaldson’s cousin, is another. According to the lawsuit, he met with Mavromatis one-on-one at his house, made remarks about her appearance, and once told her that her appearance “had a certain sexual effect on Jimmy.” She claims that when she voiced her concerns, Donaldson’s mother, Head of HR Sue Parisher, was contacted. The complaint was found to be unsupported. Soon after, she was demoted. As this develops, it’s difficult to avoid seeing a family business that grew too quickly without anyone putting in place the safeguards that a workplace requires.

Beast Industries has made a strong comeback. A representative referred to the lawsuit as “clout-chasing,” claimed to have receipts, including signed handbook acknowledgments, Slack messages, and WhatsApp exchanges, and accused Mavromatis’s attorneys of fabricating a payout. In an attempt to refute Mavromatis’ claims, the company posted a Slack screenshot of a coworker telling her that she “shouldn’t even be checking” messages while in labor. The spokesperson also objected to the complaint’s alleged exploitation of Donaldson’s eye condition and Crohn’s disease. It’s not a conciliatory response, but a combative one. That decision provides some insight into the company’s strategy.

Beast Industries has previously been under scrutiny of this nature. An internal reckoning was required two years ago due to a different firestorm over previous offensive language and a longtime collaborator’s inappropriate messages with minors. “Isolated instances” of harassment were identified by a third-party investigation. Individuals were let go. Donaldson promised a safer culture in an email to employees. It really depends on which version of this story you believe to determine whether or not that promise was fulfilled.

The fact that MrBeast is more than just a YouTuber is what makes this situation awkward. There are two seasons of Beast Games available on Amazon Prime. Step, a teen banking app, was acquired by the company. Donaldson joined the cast of Angry Birds Movie 3, ran a Super Bowl commercial for Salesforce, and was being honored alongside a sitting president and the Pope. He is surrounded by massive machinery. Now, the question is whether the culture developed alongside it or if it’s still just a group of North Carolina twentysomethings making it up as they go.

The outcome of this is still unknown. These kinds of lawsuits frequently end quietly, months later, with carefully crafted statements and nondisclosure agreements. However, the specifics are already known. Additionally, details don’t really go back in the box once they are included in a federal filing.