Security Guard's Wage Suit Against African Politican Dismissed

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a security guard who worked for a daughter of a former president of the African nation of Gabon, in which he alleged the woman owed him unpaid wages for work performed on her behalf in Beverly Hills.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin's action during a hearing on Friday was "without prejudice," meaning the door is not closed to plaintiff Lester William Novick refiling the case later. No one appeared on Novick's behalf, but an attorney for the plaintiff told the court on Oct. 4 that the defendant, Pascaline Bongo Ondimba, had not yet been served and may have left the U.S.

In his suit filed in February 2021, Novick alleged constructive wrongful termination, breach of an oral contract, breach of an implied-in-fact contract, unlawful withholding of wages and fraud.

Ondimba, 65, is a Gabonese politician and the oldest daughter of former President Omar Bongo, who served as Gabonese president from 1967 until his death at age 73 in 2009. Under his leadership, his daughter was Gabonese minister of foreign affairs from 1992-94 and director of the cabinet of the president from 1994-2009.

Novick was hired as a security guard at Ondimba's primary home in Beverly Hills in 2014 and his duties included taking the family's children to and from school, supervising the children's after-school programs and protecting all of the family's vehicles and the residence, the suit stated.
Ondimba, an heiress to her family fortune, leads a lavish lifestyle that has been reported in newspapers in Paris, London and Beverly Hills, the suit stated.

As an active foreign dignitary and politician, Ondimba continued her government activities in Beverly Hills and she needed full-time security services to also protect the foreign dignitaries who visited her, according to the suit.

Novick was initially paid $10,000 a month and international travel plans brought him additional money, the suit stated.

In 2015, Ondimba pleaded with Novick to accept a reduced rate of $72,000 per year for security services, saying it was only temporary, and she eventually paid him his full wages and made up for the reduced pay, the suit stated.

But in 2018, Ondimba again complained of financial difficulties and asked Novick to understand, the suit states. By 2019, Novick was owed more than more than $96,000 in back wages and the deficit grew to $120,000 the next year, the suit alleged.

The fluctuation of Novick's salary occurred because it was affected by Ondimba's access to subsidies and funding from the Gabonese government, the suit stated.

"The gross salary deficiencies experienced by (Novick) prevented him from continuing his employment," the suit stated.

City News Service