A former executive at Beast Industries has filed a federal lawsuit accusing the production company behind YouTube star MrBeast of years of sexual harassment, gender bias and retaliation, and says the trouble peaked right as she became a new mom. In the complaint, she says that after she raised concerns about misconduct, she was pushed into a lower role and then fired less than three weeks after returning from maternity leave. The filing describes a workplace that pressed pregnant employees to keep working and, in one instance, expected the plaintiff to log into a meeting while she was in labor. The suit and the advocacy group backing it say the case puts a spotlight on how a creator economy giant treats new parents and women in senior jobs.
The complaint was filed April 22 in federal court in North Carolina by former Beast Industries executive Lorrayne Mavromatis and names MrBeastYouTube LLC and GameChanger 24/7 LLC as defendants, according to The Associated Press. Court listings show the matter recorded as Mavromatis v. MrBeastYouTube LLC, E.D.N.C., No. 4:26-cv-00059, and summarize claims that include alleged violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act along with related state causes of action, per Bloomberg Law.
According to the filing, internal documents and messages back up Mavromatis’s account of a hostile environment. A March 31, 2025 Slack thread cited in the complaint shows a colleague telling her she “shouldn’t even be checking” messages after she wrote that she was “actually in labor at the hospital as we speak,” Los Angeles Times reported. The company later produced screenshots it says show she received the employee handbook and FMLA information.
Mavromatis, who says she now has a daughter, told reporters she “does not want to be silenced anymore” and wants to use her experience to highlight what she describes as persistent mistreatment. The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund at the National Women’s Law Center is backing the case and has framed the suit as part of a broader push to hold powerful employers to account, according to a press release from the organization, National Women’s Law Center. Local and regional outlets have also walked through the allegations at length, including complaint excerpts and a detailed timeline in coverage by Cleveland.com.
Legal angle
The lawsuit alleges violations of the FMLA and wrongful termination under North Carolina law, and it reserves additional federal discrimination claims under Title VII that Mavromatis says she plans to pursue after receiving a right-to-sue notice from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to Bloomberg Law. The filing also includes an administrative charge with the EEOC that accuses the company of discrimination based on sex and pregnancy, along with retaliation.
Company response
Beast Industries has fired back hard, flatly denying the allegations and calling the lawsuit a “clout-chasing complaint.” The company says it has “receipts” in the form of Slack and WhatsApp messages, internal records and witness statements that it believes will undercut the claims. In a statement, the company said Mavromatis’s position was cut as part of a reorganization and described parts of the complaint as “deliberate misrepresentations,” according to Los Angeles Times.
Context: a company under scrutiny
The new lawsuit lands on a company that was already facing questions about its internal culture. An outside investigation in 2024 identified isolated instances of misconduct and led to several employee firings, although investigators said they did not find evidence of systemic sexual misconduct by senior leaders, according to earlier reporting by The Associated Press. Beast Industries is also fighting a separate class action brought by contestants on its Amazon Prime competition show Beast Games, who accuse the production of hostile conditions and sexual harassment, as detailed by TIME.
At the same time, the company has been pushing beyond content into finance and other arenas, including a February deal to acquire the teen-focused fintech app Step, a move that has drawn added regulatory attention and was first reported by TechCrunch. For now, the Mavromatis case is still in its early stages. Her lawyers and Beast Industries are expected to trade motions and begin discovery in the Eastern District of North Carolina while the EEOC process continues. Legal observers say the outcome could hinge heavily on contemporaneous messages and whether the company followed federal leave notice rules along with its own internal reporting procedures.
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