Amazon founder and former CEO is under fire as his former housekeeper has filed a discrimination lawsuit against him, claiming she was wrongfully terminated in retaliation after she complained about the allegedly harsh and unsafe working conditions.
Jeff Bezos is being sued after his housekeepers reportedly got UTIs due to lack of bathroom access:
“For about 18 months, in order to use a bathroom…housekeepers were forced to climb out the laundry room window to the outside,” the lawsuit claims. pic.twitter.com/e7Vt5IeS8v
— Pop Base (@PopBase) November 5, 2022
In the complaint, Mercedes Wedaa, a housekeeper for 18 years with several high-profile clients in her resume, alleges that there was “no reasonably accessible bathroom” or a designated area where the housekeeping staff could eat. Wedaa also claimed that she was working 12 or 14-hour days, however, “no one ever told her to take a break.” She went on to say that she was not aware that she was “legally entitled to rest and lunch breaks” at the time.
Bezos’ attorney, Harry Korrell dismissed the lawsuit in a statement to ABC News,
“We have investigated the claims, and they lack merit. 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,” Korrell said. “The evidence will show that Ms. Wedaa was terminated for performance reasons. She initially demanded over $9M, and when the company refused, she decided to file this suit. 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.”
Wedaa’s attorney, Patrick Leo McGuigan responded,
“Ms. Wedaa has worked hard all her life, she is a very credible person, and compelling evidence supports her claims,” McGuigan said. “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. Federal and state labor and employment laws dictate that employees 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.”
The complaint went on to allege,
“For about 18 months, in order to use the bathroom, the plaintiff and other housekeepers were forced to climb out the laundry window to the outside, then run along the path to the mechanical room, through the mechanical room, and downstairs to a bathroom. This toilet was used by both men and women, for example, grounds staff used it too.”
Wedaa is asking for the amount of damages to be determined at trial.
