Victoria Beckham's eponymous label has been slapped with a lawsuit by an ex-employee who allegedly suffered from a serious hand injury due to long-working hours.
- Apr 30, 2020
AceShowbiz - Victoria Beckham's eponymous fashion brand has been sued by a former employee who claims 15-hour working days left her with a serious hand injury.
Kristina Kubiliene spent almost eight years working at the high-end British label as a pattern cutter, but alleges she developed carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) from working long days in the lead-up to New York Fashion Week.
The pattern cutter claims that sustaining the "repetitive" and "awkward" movements that were required for her role has left her with a severe injury that means she is now unable to work.
"She was a pattern cutter and very good at this job, but because she was good she was tasked with working for long periods and with heavy fabrics," said industrial disease lawyer Natasha Moyeed, who is representing Kubilene at Slater and Gordon law firm.
"It was these repetitive, awkward and sustained movements which cause carpal tunnel syndrome to advance rapidly in hands and wrists," she continued, reported Britain's The Independent newspaper. "When I last saw her she could barely open her handbag. She is unable to work and has had to undergo surgery to have any kind movement in her hands."
Moyeed explained that Kubilene's job required lifting rolls of fabric, weighing up to 35 kg, and then laying out and pinning the fabric to patterns. Although only contracted to work eight-hour days, the workload increased ahead of the seasonal fashion shows - leaving the worker in need of pain relief. They claimed Victoria Beckham Limited "failed to put measures in place to look after Kristina and prevent this from happening."
Last year 2019, Kubilene underwent surgery for the ailment, and has been unable to work as she has "a weak grip (and) she needs help around the home to do basic tasks."
"It is not known when, if ever, she will be able to return to a similar role, or any kind of employment," Moyeed added.
WENN has reached out to Victoria Beckham for comment.
