Kat Von D Has Been Accused Of Illegally Running Her Tattoo Shop During The COVID-19 Lockdown

Kat Von D has made it clear that she’s not really into vaccines, COVID-19 safety precautions, or just generally following the rules. Lo and behold, guess who might have gotten busted by a former employee for allegedly running her Los Angeles tattoo shop, High Voltage Tattoo, during California’s COVID-19 lockdown last year? Because there’s nothing more badass than operating a non-essential establishment outside of state-mandated health directives implemented for the sake of reduced positive caseloads and limit overall community transmission, I guess?

The Blast has obtained a copy of the lawsuit that was filed by Stephanie Davidson, a former shop manager of High Voltage Tattoo. That would be the shop from Kat’s TLC reality show, LA Ink. Stephanie claims that she was fired by Kat after she refused to work in the shop, which she believed didn’t meet California state and local guidelines for safety. After California implemented stay-home orders, for the sake of curbing COVID-19 spread, High Voltage Tattoo allegedly told her to get her ass to work. Stephanie says she was taking the stay-home orders very seriously, because she is a Type 1 diabetic, and a COVID case could put her in a bad way. Stephanie alleges in the lawsuit that she refused to come into work and was adamant about staying home during the stay-home orders. Because really, there is nothing less punk rock than being intentionally careless and ending up on a ventilator.

Stephanie claims her requests to stay home were met with a text message from Kat Von D in which she called Governor Gavin Newsom an “idiot,” and claimed the shop would be open regardless of lockdown orders.

“We can start tattooing our clients privately in the meantime until our idiot governor lifts this ridiculous lockdown. Today the barbershop is open for business and I don’t understand why we are unable to open. So I cannot stand by and let high voltage die, and need to get back to work even if it’s just for appointments for the time being,” the text allegedly read.

In the lawsuit, Stephanie claims Kat Von D continued to “question whether the pandemic was real” and cited articles she stated would provide “a clear understanding of the truth in a world where we are bombarded with so much fear and misinformation.”

When the first round of lockdown restrictions was lifted, tattoo shops remained closed, and that’s when Kat Von D allegedly began opening the shop “privately.” Kat also allegedly informed staff that she would not be wearing a mask and that contract tracing was “unconstitutional.” Stephanie claims that Kat stressed that when the shop was finally allowed to re-open to the public, she would not be mandating masks for the clients, or requiring any health and safety protocol for them as well.

Kat Von D might not mess with masks, but she also quickly learned not to mess with Stephanie, because Stephanie took all those violations to Governor Newsom’s office and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Two weeks later, Stephanie claims she was fired.

Stephanie Davidson is suing Kat Von D for wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation by firing her for reporting the COVID-19 violations. She claims she has suffered continued emotional distress, and has been unable to find consistent employment.

Kat Von D hasn’t responded to Stephanie’s lawsuit yet. But let’s say no one should really be surprised if Kat denied she did anything wrong in that shop. Since the pandemic began, she called the Governor’s lockdowns “tyrannical,” and bought a home in Indiana where she could be free from the tyranny. And of course, after the birth of her son Leafar three years ago, she made it very clear she would not be vaccinating her son.

Last year she announced that she would be permanently moving out of California and closing High Voltage Tattoo, to focus on her music career. Hmmm…maybe tattooing in the middle of a pandemic (allegedly) without masks or social distancing wasn’t as lucrative as she’d hoped? If Stephanie is telling the truth, of course. And if Stephanie is telling the truth, then imagine how much that would suck if someone had caught COVID while getting tattooed in Kat’s shop? A dated-looking pin-up girl should only be a reminder of one questionable decision, not two.

Pic: Wenn.com/FayesVision