Halsey is seeking a court order for a deposition as well as the imposition of a fine of more than $4,500 against a former nanny to her son, who alleges in a lawsuit against the singer that she is owed back wages.
Halsey’s attorneys filed court papers on Feb. 6 with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Thomas D. Long arguing that plaintiff Ashley Funches has unreasonably delayed agreeing to a date for a second deposition. A hearing is scheduled April 23.
“Defendants have attempted on numerous occasions to complete plaintiff’s deposition,” Halsey’s lawyers state in their court papers. “But their efforts have consistently been ignored.”
Given Funches’ “flagrant abuse of the discovery process, sanctions are warranted…,” the Halsey attorneys contend in their court papers that ask for a fine of $4,590.
The “Without Me” singer’s attorneys state in their pleadings that they took the first session of Funches’ deposition on Nov. 30 and that because the plaintiff gave birth to her first child in early December, the defense “respectfully delayed scheduling the second volume of plaintiff’s deposition.”
The 29-year-old Halsey’s attorneys further state that they “impressed” upon Funches’ legal team the importance of completing the plaintiff’s deposition no later than early December, but Funches lawyers were uncooperative.
“Defense counsel has tried on countless occasions to secure and confirm the deposition of plaintiff, but has been met with silence or empty promises,” Halsey’s lawyers argue in their pleadings. “This discovery delay has already led to a trial continuance and there is no sign that anything will change in 2024.”
According to Funches’ suit, she entered a contract in 2021 with Halsey company Leaving Things Behind Touring to work for the singer as a live-in personal attendant for the performer’s newborn child and was paid every two weeks by another Halsey company, Halsey Music, based on an annual salary.
Funches cared for the child, prepared meals, cleaned, laundered, cleaned breast pump materials, organized the nursery and ran errands, according to the suit filed in June 2022, which further states that Funches worked around the clock on consecutive days with little to no day of rest.
Funches alleges she was wrongfully fired in March 2022 for complaining about her work conditions and for asking for time off for a medical procedure. Halsey’s real name is Ashley Nicolette Frangipane.