Jeff Bezos sued by former housekeeper over working conditions at Seattle mansion
Mercedes Wedaa filed lawsuit against Amazon billionaire in King County Superior Court
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jeff Bezos has been sued by a former housekeeper who claims employees at his Seattle mansion had to climb out of a window to use a toilet.
Mercedes Wedaa filed the lawsuit against the Amazon billionaire claiming “unsafe and unhealthy work conditions” at his Washington state home and racial discrimination.
Ms Wedaa, who was hired by the entrepreneur in 2019, is also claiming racial discrimination by other staff at the property.
She claims in the lawsuit, which was filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle on Tuesday, that she and other housekeeping staff worked up to 14 hours a day and failed to receive proper meals or rest breaks.
Court papers state that Mr Bezos’s home had no break room or rest area for staff and no bathroom that was easily accessible, reported GeekWire.
Ms Wedaa claims that housekeepers were not allowed to use a bathroom in the security room and had to climb out of the laundry room window to get to another toilet.
The lawsuit claims that Wedaa and other housekeepers developed urinary tract infections as they “had to spend large parts of their day unable to use the toilet.”
She also alleges that household managers were “respectful and polite” to white members of staff but treated the Hispanic cleaning staff poorly.
Ms Wedaa claims that she was fired from her position when she complained about alleged discrimination and working conditions.
In addition to Mr Bezos, the lawsuit also names Zefram and Northwestern, two companies that manage properties for the businessman.
Harry Korrell, a lawyer for Mr Bezos and other defendants, said that the former employee had been fired for performance issues.
“We have investigated the claims, and they lack merit,” Mr Korrell told The Independent in a statement.
He added that there were multiple bathrooms and break rooms available for staff to use at the house.
“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,” he added.
“No employer is above the law, not even Jeff Bezos and the organizations he uses to locate and hire people to work for him at his home and at his other properties,” Patrick McGuigan, a lawyer representing Ms Wedaa, told CNBC in a statement.
“Federal and state labor and employment laws dictate that working people must be paid for the work they perform and that they must be able to perform their work in a discrimination free, safe, sanitary, and healthy workplace. These laws must be adhered to by all employers.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments