A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has denied Kat Von D's request for about $13,500 in legal costs. The ruling stems from her successful defense against a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Stephanie Davidson, the former manager of Von D’s now-shuttered High Voltage Tattoo store in West Hollywood.
Davidson's lawsuit, filed in January 2022, contended that she was wrongfully fired in 2020. Her court papers alleged the termination occurred after she expressed concerns about Von D’s alleged disregard for coronavirus mandates. Davidson maintained that Von D would only be entitled to costs if it could be shown that Davidson filed a frivolous lawsuit.
On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin C. Brazile struck Von D's memorandum of costs. Judge Brazile stated that allowing Von D to claim all joint litigation costs would “create an improper end-run around” the Government Code while High Voltage Tattoo remained an active defendant on non-frivolous claims.
According to Davidson’s lawsuit, after the pandemic caused Von D’s shop to close, Davidson raised concerns about an alleged failure to follow required safety protocols. Davidson, who has type-1 diabetes, reported the shop to state health officials and Governor Gavin Newsom, her attorneys stated. Rather than engaging in an interactive process for Davidson to safely work, Von D allegedly “discriminated against Ms. Davidson based on her disability by terminating her in retaliation for her complaint,” Davidson’s legal team claimed.
In August 2025, Judge Brazile sided with Von D’s lawyers, agreeing there were no triable issues in Davidson’s case against the tattoo artist herself. This decision removed Von D as a defendant. The judge found that Von D is not the “alter ego” of High Voltage Tattoo, and therefore could not be held liable for the single cause of action Davidson alleged against her for retaliation.
Davidson had worked as Von D’s personal assistant before being rehired as High Voltage Tattoo’s general manager. Her duties included general shop maintenance, booking appointments, setting up tattoo stations, managing inventory, handling payments, and running the shop’s social media account, according to her court papers.
Kat Von D, whose real name is Katherine Von Drachenberg, announced in October 2021 that she was closing High Voltage Tattoo, which was featured on the TLC reality show “LA Ink.” She moved with her family to Indiana. A status hearing in Davidson’s case against High Voltage Tattoo is scheduled for September 9.
