SANTA MONICA (CN) - Courtney Love fired her administrative assistant owing her thousands of dollars in wages and expenses, after the women refused to "send fake legal correspondence," and do other unethical acts, the woman claims in Superior Court.
Jessica Labrie claims Courtney Love Cobain hired her in June 2010 as an administrative assistant and "forensic research aide." Labrie, 33, claims Love promised her $30 an hour, plus "a 'full ride' scholarship to Yale University."
Labrie claims Love did not provide her with the scholarship, and stiffed her for overtime and regular wages, though she "often worked more than 60 hours per week."
She claims that Love told her to hire a computer hacker, which she refused to do, because she "reasonably believed that hacking is illegal."
She claims: "Love Cobain directed plaintiff to send fake legal correspondence.
"Plaintiff reasonably believed that creating or sending fake legal correspondence is illegal.
"Plaintiff refused to follow Love Cobain's direction."
She claims Love promised her work on the set of "an upcoming Nirvana biopic," but did not.
She says Love promised her work with her music management company, but did not.
Love fell behind in paying her wages by February 2011, Labrie says. On May 9, 2011, she claims, Love paid her less than one-third of the wages and expenses due. Late that month, she says, Love paid her another $5,000, but still owed her.
After sending her on "multiple business trips" in May 2011, Love failed to reimburse her for "substantial" costs, including travel, Labrie says.
She claims that Love told her on June 11, 2011 that she "would soon pay plaintiff the wages and expenses owed."
But she didn't, Labrie says. She says she told Love that she couldn't keep working for her unless she paid the wages and expenses due.
"Soon thereafter, Sam Lufti, one of Love Cobain's new business management employees, told plaintiff that her disbursements were 'too frequent' and that she would 'have to wait,' or words to that effect," the complaint states.
Labrie says she faxed a letter to Love on June 27, 2011, saying she would have to resign if Love did not pay her the wages and expenses due.
She claims that on July 1, 2011, Love's new assistant, (nonparty) Zoe Brooks, "attempted to negotiate plaintiff's agreed-upon and earned wages and incurred expenses."
Four days later, she says, Brooks sent her a list of tasks Love wanted her to do, and told her "that Love Cobain could only afford to pay plaintiff $2,000."
Labrie says she was owed more than that, and she quit on June 27, 2011.
She claims Love's treatment hurt her physical and mental health and gave her headaches, insomnia, depression and anxiety.
She claims that "a motivating factor for plaintiff's constructive termination is her reporting of, complaining about, and other opposition to fraudulent, unlawful and unethical acts, including her complaints about her unpaid wages and unpaid expenses."
Labrie seeks wages and expenses due, and punitive damages for wrongful firing, wage and overtime violations, false promise, breach of contract, negligent and intentional misrepresentation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
She is represented by Joshua Gruenberg, of San Diego.
This is the third recent lawsuit against Love. The Keith A. Fink & Associates law firm sued her in Los Angeles Superior Court in June, claiming Love owed $426,000 in legal expenses. And Browns Hotel sued her in May, in New York County Supreme Court, seeking $53,000 for "goods, wares and merchandise."
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