Top Modeling Agencies Face Lawsuit Alleging Exploitation, Manipulation
Model Louisa Raske Sues Agencies Push Us into Surgeries ... Wilhelmina & Next Accused
The world's top modeling agencies screw their famous clients by urging them into surgery, cramming them into apartments and controlling their dating lives ... according to a new lawsuit.
Model Louisa Raske filed a class action lawsuit against Major Model Management, Wilhelmina, Next, Elite and other top tier agencies claiming the companies instructed models to undergo medical procedures for weight loss and to attain the all-important thigh gap.
In the suit, she also says the agencies tried to run their social lives. For instance, a model named Eleni Tzimas says she was told by Elite to attend high-profile events because people like Donald Trump would be there. Another claims her agency encouraged her to break-up with her bf, who was in the military, so she could date an "a-list celebrity or professional athlete."
Personally, Raske says her agency, Next, used one of her shots on a L'Oreal hair product without ever paying her. She eventually got paid $31k, but insists she was owed more.
Another model, Marcelle Almonte, says her agency, MC2 Models, crammed her into a 2-bedroom Miami apartment with at least 8 other models, and charged $1,850 per month. Doesn't sound like that much, except market value on the place was only $3,300 per month.
The plaintiffs are suing for unpaid wages and other damages.
