Lorrayne Mavromatis, a former executive at Beast Industries, has taken legal action against the company founded by YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast. The lawsuit, filed on April 22, 2026, in a North Carolina federal court, brings serious accusations of sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and wrongful termination.
Mavromatis says she was fired less than three weeks after returning from maternity leave. She also claims company leaders expected her to keep working even while she was in the hospital giving birth. The legal filing describes a workplace culture where female employees faced constant mistreatment and where speaking up led to punishment instead of help.
Mavromatis Lawsuit Alleges Toxic ‘Boy’s Club’ Culture at Beast Industries
Court documents describe Beast Industries as a workplace where male leaders ran things like a private club and women were treated as outsiders. Mavromatis, who joined the company in August 2022 as head of Instagram, says she got promoted twice within her first year. But everything changed after she raised concerns about harassment.
The legal complaint includes several specific claims about senior leaders. James Warren, Donaldson’s cousin who served as CEO at the time, is mentioned multiple times. When Mavromatis asked why MrBeast would not work with her on certain projects, Warren reportedly told her she was a “beautiful woman” and that her “appearance had a certain sexual effect on Jimmy”. Warren also allegedly said: “Jimmy gets really awkward around beautiful women. Let’s just say that when you’re around and he goes to the restroom, he’s not actually using the restroom”.
The company has pushed back against this claim, saying MrBeast’s repeated bathroom trips are due to his Crohn’s disease.
Mavromatis also says she was told to “shut up” or “stop talking” during meetings. When she reported a client’s inappropriate advances, she claims a leader told her she should feel “honoured”. The lawsuit describes Beast Industries as a “boy’s club” where male executives laughed about female contestants on the “Beast Games” show who complained about not having access to feminine hygiene products and clean underwear.
Employee Handbook and Internal Rules Face Scrutiny in Legal Filing
The lawsuit points to company documents that Mavromatis says show how Beast Industries operated. One internal guide, called “HOW TO SUCCEED IN MRBEAST PRODUCTION,” reportedly included sections stating “It’s okay for the boys to be childish” and “The Amount of hours you work is irrelevant”.
Even more troubling, Mavromatis claims another handbook contained the phrase “no does not mean no”. She also says the company had no clear system for workers to report harassment or discrimination in 2023, when she first tried to raise concerns about Warren and Donaldson.
After complaining to human resources—which Mavromatis says was led by Donaldson’s mother at the time—she says the company moved her to a different role and lowered her position. She went from running the verticals division to a social media manager job focused on merchandise. The company denies this and calls the claim “false and inaccurate”.
Pregnancy Treatment and Maternity Leave Central to Lawsuit Claims
One of the most serious parts of the Mavromatis lawsuit involves her pregnancy and maternity leave. She says company leaders pressured her to keep working even while she was in labor at the hospital.
“I actually had to hold my breath in between talks because of how hard the contractions were,” Mavromatis told the Associated Press.
She says she worked nonstop after giving birth and continued to handle company tasks while still recovering. “I was still bleeding, and I just had to show up,” she said.
The lawsuit claims Beast Industries had no official maternity leave policy and did not tell her about her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). After she returned to work full time, she was fired within three weeks. Company leaders told her she was “too high caliber” for the role they had moved her to.
Beast Industries Responds Strongly to Harassment Allegations
A spokesperson for Beast Industries denied all claims made in the lawsuit. The company called the legal action a “clout-chasing complaint” built on “deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements”.
A company representative said Mavromatis’s position was removed during a team reorganization led by a new head of ecommerce. The company also shared evidence it says proves its side of the story. This includes a March 31, 2025, Slack message where a coworker told Mavromatis she “shouldn’t even be checking” work messages after learning she was in labor. The company also showed a screenshot of Mavromatis’s signature confirming she received the employee handbook that included FMLA policies.
“We will not submit to opportunistic lawyers looking to manufacture a payday from us,” the company’s statement read.
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Legal Support and Wider Context Around Beast Industries Workplace
The TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund at the National Women’s Law Center has announced it will support Mavromatis’s case. Jennifer Mondino, senior director at the fund, explained why they got involved.
“Abusive workplaces rely on a persistent lack of accountability. We see this pattern frequently, where those with influence and power are allowed to harm others and retaliate against those who decide to speak up. We are in a collective fight to address a longstanding culture of harassment that relies on entrenched silence and shame.” – Jennifer Mondino, senior director at TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund
This is not the first time questions have come up about culture at MrBeast’s company. Two years ago, Donaldson faced criticism over past racist and homophobic language he used online. Around the same time, accusations surfaced that a longtime collaborator shared inappropriate sexual messages with minors. In August 2024, Donaldson sent an email to employees saying he knew he needed to “create a culture that makes all our employees feel safe and allows them to do their best work”. Following a third-party investigation, Beast Industries fired several employees for what the company called “isolated instances” of workplace harassment and misconduct.
The Mavromatis lawsuit was filed on the same week Donaldson is set to be honored at the TIME100 celebration in New York City on April 23, 2026. He is listed among the world’s most influential people alongside Pope Leo XIV and President Donald Trump.
The company currently employs around 750 people and has been growing fast. It recently hired top executives from NBCUniversal and TikTok. Beast Industries has also moved into television with “Beast Games” on Amazon Prime Video and bought the teen banking app Step.
Mavromatis plans to add additional discrimination claims under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act once she gets a right-to-sue letter from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her legal team is led by Rebecca Mayer of The Noble Law Firm in North Carolina.
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