Berliner Tageszeitung - Kylie Jenner employee describes closet ordeal and pepper-spray incident

A former employee of Kylie Jenner claimed she was trapped inside the reality star’s closet for more than an hour while suffering a panic attack — and that her supervisor laughed at her desperate pleas for help. The shocking allegations were among several made by former housekeeper Dinora Carolina Cabria Amaya in a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Nov. 5 against the makeup mogul and members of her household staff.

According to court documents, the employee claimed she was instructed by a supervisor, identified in the lawsuit as Laura Dooley, to enter Jenner’s closet and was given a passcode to access the room. However, Amaya alleged she became locked inside and was unable to get out.

The housekeeper claimed she immediately called Dooley, explaining that she was trapped and experiencing a panic attack. Instead of helping, Dooley allegedly "laughed and mocked" her.

"No one is at the house that can let you out and I cannot give the password to anyone else, you just have to wait," Dooley allegedly told her, according to the lawsuit. Amaya claimed she was forced to remain inside the closet for more than an hour before someone finally released her.

She alleged the ordeal left her suffering from "substantial fear, anxiety, humiliation, and emotional distress." In another disturbing allegation, the housekeeper claimed she was repeatedly instructed to leave Jenner’s residence or remain confined to a room because "The Kardashians" star did not want to see her.

The lawsuit also detailed a separate incident in which Amaya claimed an unsecured canister of pepper spray discharged directly into her eyes and face while she was working at Jenner’s home. In Sept. 2025, the employee alleged she was cleaning and organizing a laundry room drawer when the canister discharged.

Amaya claimed she immediately experienced severe burning and vision problems and alerted Dooley by text. "Sorry to interrupt you, I had an accident at work, someone left pepper spray and took off safety," she wrote, according to messages cited in the complaint.

Dooley allegedly responded, "Thanks for letting us know." When Amaya returned to work on Sept. 6, she claimed she discovered incident report paperwork had been left for her in the laundry room, with instructions to complete it and turn it over to security.

Still suffering from the effects of the pepper spray, the housekeeper allegedly sent another message asking for medical attention. "Sorry but I have had a headache since Thursday and discomfort in my eyes, can I go to doctor?" she wrote.

According to the lawsuit, Amaya continued experiencing "blurry vision, burning, itching, dryness, irritation, and a constant sand-like sensation in her eyes." She claimed she repeatedly informed her supervisors about her symptoms but alleged that the more she complained about her injuries, the harder they made her job.

The housekeeper further alleged that her employers removed another employee who had been helping her, leaving her to complete physically demanding tasks alone. She claimed she was forced to lift heavy items, including mattresses, despite her ongoing pain and requests for assistance.

The allegations came after published reports said Tuesday that Jenner had been hit with her fourth employee lawsuit in just seven months. Amaya, who claimed she began working as a housekeeper in March 2025, alleged she was wrongfully terminated on Feb. 6, 2026, after repeatedly complaining about her injuries, working conditions and unpaid wages.

Her lawsuit included claims of disability discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination and false imprisonment, among other allegations. Her attorney, Della Shaker, said in a statement that the allegations raise broader concerns about the treatment of domestic workers employed by wealthy individuals.

"This case raises a larger question: how many domestic workers are afraid to report unlawful treatment because they believe their employers are too powerful to challenge?" Shaker said. "The truth should never be buried behind wealth, fear, or silence," she added. "No one should fear speaking the truth."

Jenner’s legal representative, Michael Rhodes, said in a statement, "These latest cases are being brought by the same lawyer who previously filed claims on behalf of Kylie’s former household staff. It’s clear that this lawyer wants to use publicity to try and extract an unwarranted payday." "We’re not going to be intimidated into doing that. As such, we’ll defend these meritless cases vigorously and look forward to telling our side of the story," Rhodes said.

In response to Rhodes’ statement, Shaker said, "Mr. Rhodes has not been counsel of record in our first three cases, and I have never dealt with him throughout this litigation. I have no information indicating he represents the defendants in the fourth case." "Yet he has plenty to say about me. Perhaps his attention would be better directed toward the allegations and while others may be concerned with protecting famous names, my concern is protecting the people who worked for them. We are here to protect rights, not reputations. And we will not back down," Shaker said.

The allegations against Jenner and her associates have not been proven in court. As previously reported, Jenner is also facing three other lawsuits by former household employees since April.

On April 17, former housekeeper Angelica Hernandez Vasquez accused Jenner and her companies of discrimination, harassment and retaliation, claiming she was mistreated because of her Salvadoran background and Catholic faith. Less than two weeks after Vasquez filed her lawsuit, another former housekeeper, Juana Delgado Soto, filed a lawsuit alleging she was told not to look at or smile at Jenner and was forced to hide in a bathroom or garage to avoid being seen by Jenner.

Then, on June 22, a former private chef identified in court documents as Jane Doe sued Jenner and several members of her team, alleging pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination. The chef claimed she suffered a miscarriage after being required to work physically demanding shifts despite having a high-risk pregnancy.

The cases remain pending. Jenner has not publicly commented on the allegations.

H. Müller--BTZ