Alicia Keys's name is tangled in a lawsuit against a billionaire's wife. Hedge-funder Philip Falcone and his wife, Lisa Maria Falcone, have been named in a lawsuit brought against the Mrs. by the couple's former personal chef. In a report recently made by Page Six, the chef, Brian Villanueva, says he introduced Lisa to his girlfriend who happened to be a black woman and then things were awry.
In the lawsuit, Villanueva states that his girlfriend was helping him back in July at the Falcone's party in the Hamptons. Attending the party were Swizz Beatz and wife Alicia Keys, and while the event went off without a hitch, Villanueva alleges that things took a turn the next morning. When he spoke with Lisa the following day, she reportedly said, "Your girlfriend speaks very well. She seems educated. I would describe her as a chocolate-covered marshmallow."
The chef claims that it was obvious that he was offended by the remark, but that didn't stop Lisa from continuing. "Do you use the word 'n****' at home with your girlfriend?" she allegedly asked according to the court documents. "Defendant Lisa Falcone noticed the shocked and offended expression on Plaintiff’s face, however, rather than apologize, she said defensively, 'I’m Puerto Rican and grew up in Spanish Harlem so I can speak like that.'"
The documents also show that Lisa even dropped Alicia and Swizz's names as a defense for her words. "I meant she speaks really eloquently. Alicia [Keys] doesn’t speak that way. She didn’t have an education and was just discovered by Clive Davis when she was fifteen years old. Swizz [Beatz] definitely doesn’t speak that way either," Lisa reportedly said.
Villanueva says that just hours later he delivered a pizza to the Falcones while they were relaxing on the beach, he advised them that he was quitting. "Rather than accepting Plaintiff’s resignation, Defendant Lisa Falcone asked Plaintiff not to resign and stated 'talk to my black friends' (seemingly referring to Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz — both of whom were at the beach with the Falcones at that time), and emphasized 'they will tell you that I am not racist.'"
The chef has sued for discrimination and violation of New York labor laws. Villanueva said that Philip told him he'd pay him, but only if the chef and his girlfriend agreed to sign confidentiality agreements saying they would never tell anyone about what Lisa said. Villanueva is asking for the $4,230.76 unpaid wages he claims he's owed.