The chief pilot of DJ Khaled’s private aircraft allegedly subjected the star’s personal flight attendant to prolonged sexual harassment, including drunken advances and unwanted touching, according to a federal lawsuit obtained by Our News Outlet.
Sierra Storm, 31, alleged in an October 27 complaint that Captain Esterman Rumbos repeatedly focused on her feet and toes, making “unsolicited, sexualized remarks” whenever she removed her high heels during long workdays.
According to the filing, Khaled’s wife, Nicole, personally asked Storm—a former yacht stewardess who appeared on Season 4 of Bravo’s Below Deck—to work full time aboard the Grammy winner’s $50 million Bombardier business jet.
Storm also said Khaled personally praised her performance and suggested she had a promising future working with him.
But the complaint alleges that relentless objectification by the 50-year-old Rumbos, along with inappropriate conduct from several other pilots, became so distressing that Storm eventually had her breast implants removed.
After she reported what she described as workplace harassment to senior officials, Storm said she was forced out of the job under false pretenses.
Former yacht crewmember Sierra Storm (front, left) appeared on Season 4 of Below Deck before becoming DJ Khaled’s personal flight attendant
A representative for DJ Khaled, whose legal name is Khaled Mohamed Khaled and who is named as a co-defendant, did not respond to a request for comment.
Rumbos also did not respond to messages. Solairus Aviation LLC, the company that manages and operates Khaled’s aircraft and directly employs Rumbos, likewise did not answer a request for comment.
Storm’s attorneys did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Our News Outlet.
Storm joined Solairus in November 2023 as a contract flight attendant assigned to various clients’ aircraft, according to the federal complaint filed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
She was assigned to Khaled’s plane in March 2024. Storm allegedly made such a strong impression that, after a personnel reshuffle removed her from the Khaled family’s aircraft that May, Khaled’s wife “insisted” she return.
On June 11, 2024, Storm became Khaled’s full-time flight attendant. Her base salary was $150,000, while her total annual compensation—including benefits and perks—was approximately $350,000, the lawsuit said.
DJ Khaled’s former personal flight attendant, Sierra Storm, seen during Season 4 of Below Deck, alleges that the hip-hop star’s private jet pilot sexually harassed her for more than a year
The complaint alleges that Rumbos began subjecting Storm to “a sustained and escalating pattern of sexual harassment, unwanted physical contact, and quid pro quo pressure” soon after she joined Khaled’s crew.
The allegations then became increasingly explicit, according to the filing.
Storm accused Rumbos of repeatedly kissing her hand while looking at her romantically and suggesting they travel together to New York City to view the Christmas decorations.
At a company dinner, Rumbos allegedly held Storm down and tried to force dessert into her mouth despite her repeated refusals. She also claimed he threatened to fire her if she did not cooperate.
The complaint describes unwanted full-body hugs, public groping and other comments so inappropriate that several pilots allegedly intervened.
Storm said she made clear that she was not interested in a romantic relationship with Rumbos, but he allegedly told her she was “holding back” her true feelings.
Storm believed, according to the lawsuit, that keeping her position aboard Khaled’s jet depended on accepting a romantic relationship with the pilot.
DJ Khaled outside his Bombardier Global 6500 jet, whose pilot is accused by the star producer’s former flight attendant of sexually harassing her for more than a year
In early 2025, Storm underwent surgery to remove her breast implants. She said she chose not to replace them in an effort to reduce the sexual objectification she experienced at work.
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The change did not stop the alleged conduct, the complaint said.
Storm alleged that when she returned to work three days after surgery, Rumbos “fully grabbed and cupped her breast” while pretending to stretch his arms and yawn.
The lawsuit also alleges that Storm faced harassment from other pilots and aircraft employees. One mechanic, who is not named as a defendant, allegedly lured her onto a parked aircraft under the guise of discussing a work matter.
The mechanic then allegedly rubbed and grabbed his genitals through his clothing for more than a minute, according to the complaint.
After Storm reported the incident to human resources, Solairus retained an outside law firm to investigate what she described as a “systemic pattern of abuse.”
The mechanic was fired in June 2025 following the investigation. Solairus’s chief operating officer also promised Storm “a safe space” and said the company would work to improve conditions at Solairus and throughout the aviation industry, the complaint said.
DJ Khaled and his wife, Nicole, aboard the producer’s Bombardier jet. A lawsuit filed by Khaled’s former flight attendant alleges that the aircraft’s pilot harassed her for more than a year
Storm alleged that the company’s response ultimately left her disappointed.
She claimed the COO advised her to “form a strong relationship” with Rumbos, describing him as the “right man” for the DJ Khaled assignment, while failing to investigate the broader allegations more thoroughly.
After that conversation, Storm said she was forced to contact Rumbos directly and establish “new physical and professional boundaries.”
“I am not OK,” Storm said she told him. “I vomited after the call.”
The complaint alleges that members of Khaled’s team who had previously greeted Storm warmly became distant and stopped speaking to her just days after Khaled was briefed on the investigation.
Rumbos and his co-pilot allegedly spoke only Spanish when Storm was nearby, excluded her from crew activities and refused to provide operational assistance. Storm also accused Rumbos of documenting false claims that she had made mistakes.
One disputed allegation involved a July 1, 2025, incident in Barbados, where customs officers reportedly found cannabis belonging to an unidentified passenger aboard Khaled’s aircraft.
Rumbos allegedly accused Storm of knowing about the marijuana, although she said she had no knowledge that it was on the plane.
DJ Khaled, left, with private pilot Esterman Rumbos, who is accused of sexually harassing the superstar DJ’s personal flight attendant
Two days later, a Solairus human resources executive called Storm and told her Khaled no longer wanted her aboard his aircraft because of unspecified “incidents,” according to the complaint.
Storm was instructed never to contact Khaled or his family again. When she asked which incidents prompted the decision, she said she received no explanation.
The complaint alleges that Storm was told she could remain with the company only by returning to per diem work. She declined, and was subsequently removed from the broader flight schedule “until further notice” at Rumbos’s direction.
Solairus allegedly allowed Rumbos—the man Storm said she had rejected and reported—to decide that she should be removed without conducting a further review.
Storm said the experience caused “severe emotional distress,” including anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, hypervigilance and flashbacks, as well as chronic fatigue, migraines and hormonal disruption. She also claimed the events damaged her reputation in the referral-based private aviation industry.
She is asking a judge to find that her civil rights were violated. Storm is also seeking lost wages and benefits, compensatory damages for emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation and other losses, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and court costs.
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