Former ‘America’s Got Talent’ Judge Hit With Lawsuit

Howard Stern and Beth Stern are being sued by a former personal assistant who alleges that the former America’s Got Talent judge and his wife created a “hostile work environment” with “questionable business operations.”

Leslie Kuhn filed a complaint against the couple on Sunday in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, seeking compensation after she claims she had a confidentiality agreement and non-disclosure agreement forced upon her at the time of her “manufactured” termination in February, both of which she claims are “fraudulent and unenforceable,” as per PEOPLE.

Kuhn claims that she was initially hired as an office manager for The Howard Stern Show personality in September 2022, and in January 2024, she became Howard’s executive assistant. Just five months later, Kuhn claims she was asked to move to Southampton, N.Y., in order to work at their mansion.

Once there, Kuhn was allegedly told that Beth needed help “managing the staff of the mansion, setting staffing schedules, completing staff payroll, and managing general household operations,” and with the daily operations of her “extensive at-home feline rescue and fostering operations.”

In February, Kuhn says she was allegedly terminated “for cause,” but that she “contends that her termination was the result of, among other things, a hostile work environment and enablement of that hostile work environment, immense pressures on the household created by irresponsible and untenable animal rescue and fostering operations occurring on-site, and massively disorganized and questionable business operations and accounting practices.”

Although Kuhn alleges she was presented with a non-disclosure agreement and a confidentiality agreement at the time of her termination, the suit claims that the NDA is “fraudulent and unenforceable,” and like the separation and confidentiality agreements, was “one-sided and non-mutual.”

“As such, Kuhn fully intends to disclose details concerning the facts surrounding her employment,” the complaint reads.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Kuhn’s attorney, John J. Leonard, said, “We contend that the defendants used manufactured and unenforceable non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements as a means to leverage Leslie Kuhn into silence and deprive her of the right to defend herself from accusations detrimental to her reputation and her livelihood.”

Kuhn is seeking to be released from the confidentiality agreement and NDA, as well as the costs of the action and any other relief deemed necessary.