A server at The Ribbon restaurant on the Upper West Side is suing his place of employment and Paramount Pictures, the distributor of the 2024 musical film Mean Girls, for discrimination, because, the server says, he was prevented from working at a release party for the movie because of his weight.
In his lawsuit, which was filed on Monday and has been reviewed by The Daily Beast, plaintiff Joseph Sacchi—described as “a young, talented singer trained in classical opera [who] supplements his income by working as a server”—claims that his employer, The Ribbon, “excluded him from working at the reception because representatives from Paramount Pictures, the distributors of Mean Girls, specifically asked that he be excluded, solely based on his appearance.”
Sacchi is 6’2” and weighs 360 pounds, his suit notes.
The suit goes on to claim that a conversation with his manager revealed why he was singled out as the only available server not scheduled to work during the Mean Girls post-premiere party, which was set for a Monday.
“Paramount Representatives pointed to Mr. Sacchi during [a] walkthrough on Friday, January 5, 2024 and told The Ribbon’s managers that they did not want him working the event,” the lawsuit reads. “Mr. Sacchi later learned that The Ribbon’s scheduling manager also made fatphobic comments about him to a coworker during the Mean Girls post-premiere reception, stating, ‘If Joe was here, how would he have moved around? It’s a full house.’”
The lawsuit even calls out the musical film itself for containing “fatphobic plotline[s]” and quotes star Reneé Rapp, who said in press for the film that comments about her own weight have been “harmful, stupid, and ignorant.” Now, the suit reads, “fatphobia” has “victimized yet another individual.”
The Daily Beast reached out to Paramount Pictures, Sacchi’s attorneys and The Ribbon for comment.
“Due to the weight-based discrimination, Mr. Sacchi suffered lost wages and emotional distress,” the suit ultimately alleges, noting that the servers who worked the night of the Mean Girls party each took home a $769.79 tip.
Sacchi is seeking declaratory relief, injunctive relief, compensatory and punitive damages.
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