Billionaire Jeff Bezos SUED By Housekeeper Claiming She Was FORCED To Work 14-Hour Days In 'Unsanitary Conditions'
Jeff Bezos’s former housekeeper is suing the multi-billionaire over claims she was forced to work long 14-hour shifts in “unsanitary conditions” at his Washington State residence, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Mercedes Wedaa, who reportedly worked for the Amazon founder for nearly three years before being let go, filed the lawsuit against Bezos in King County Superior Court in Seattle this week.
According to Daily Mail, Wedaa wasn’t only forced to work 14-hour days in allegedly unsanitary conditions, but she was also allegedly discriminated against due to her race which led to her firing after she made complaints over the purported discrimination.
When Wedaa raised concerns about “discrimination, retaliation, violation of wage and hour laws, violations of workplace health and safety laws, and laws against hiring undocumented workers,” Bezos’s house managers reportedly fired the housekeeper.
But despite Wendaa’s claims, the Amazon CEO’s lawyer said the housekeeper’s claims have “no merit.”
“No one ever told [Wedaa] she was entitled to breaks and no one ever told her to take a break,” the lawsuit also claimed. “[She] did not know she was legally entitled to rest and lunch breaks.”
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Bezos’s lawyer also fired back on those claims, telling Daily Mail Wendaa was always trusted to take her own breaks, and choose her own meal times, on her own time.
“We've investigated these claims, they have no merit, and we'll defend against them,” Bezos’s lawyer, Harry Korrell, said in a statement responding to the housekeeper’s suit.
“Ms. Wedaa made over six figures annually and was the lead housekeeper. She was responsible for her own break and meal times, and there were several bathrooms and breakrooms available to her and other staff.”
“The evidence will show that Ms. Wedaa was terminated for performance reasons. She initially demanded over $9 million, and when the company refused, she decided to file this suit,” Korrell continued.
“Given their backgrounds, the suggestion that Mr. Bezos, Ms. Sanchez, or Northwestern LLC discriminated against Ms. Wedaa based on her race or national origin is absurd.”
The alleged incidents reportedly took place in Seattle’s suburb Medina – an exclusive suburb that also hosts the home of Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates.