One former housekeeper is hoping to clean house. But this time, it won’t be Brandy Norwood’s home as the housekeeper has done since 2002. Instead, Maria Elizabeth Castaneda has filed a lawsuit against the singer for wrongful termination and violating state labor laws, per PEOPLE.
Lawsuit Details
According to court documents, Maria claims she was fired in February due to her age. Apparently, Brandy let her decades-long employee go because she didn’t want an “older” housekeeper. Per TMZ, the housekeeper is more than 60 years old.
“We disagree and will have further comments after we speak with our lawyers,” a representative for Brandy reportedly told TMZ.
Maria also said Brandy shorted her coins by not providing payment for her last two days of work. The housekeeper reportedly earned $125 per day throughout her 20 years with Brandy. Now, Maria is seeking back pay, plus an extra $250,000 in damages.
Additionally, Maria insists Brandy violated California state labor laws. Some of the ways these laws were violated include: “failure to pay minimum wage, unpaid rest and meal periods and inaccurate wage statements,” per PEOPLE.
An Additional Lawsuit
Brandy faces this lawsuit on the heels of another. TMZ reports that both Brandy and her stylist Ashley Sean Thomas were sued at the top of the year.
Fashion designer and Beverly Hills store owner Elle B. Mambetov filed legal documents against the ‘I Wanna Be Down’ singer in January. The star was allegedly set to wear a $45,000 ring and an outfit to the American Music Awards. The ring, described as 18-karat rose gold with black volcanic stone, is missing.
“Brandy never saw the ring and has no knowledge of it ever being in her presence. It was never a part of her look for the event,” a rep for the singer told TMZ.
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