Thursday, March 28, 2024

Brandy to Compensate Former Housekeeper $40K – Sued for Age Discrimination | VIDEO

Brandy
Brandy

*Brandy Norwood will pay her former housekeeper $40,000 to settle a lawsuit the housekeeper filed against her. The housekeeper, Maria Elizabeth Castaneda, through her attorneys from the Lipeles Law Group, sued the R&B star for age discrimination, amongst other claims.

According to the court documents, the lawsuit also seeks nearly $90,000 in attorneys’ fees. The attorneys stated in the court papers that they took up the woman’s case, knowing that the legal battle ahead would match their boutique firm against a large firm representing celebrities.

“To that end, through fiercely litigating the issue, Lipeles Law Group was able to secure a $40,000 settlement for our client within six months of filing the complaint,” they added.

To build the case, the attorneys further added that they had to interview potential witnesses and obtain statements, take discovery, schedule and prepare for depositions and conduct an investigation into Norwood and her corporate affiliates. They are using this to justify the $87,445 they have requested in attorneys’ fees.

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Alternatively, they seek either $48,580 or $38,390 in attorneys’ fees, plus $805 in costs, depending on two other rates the court can consider. A hearing on the attorneys’ fees motion is set for December 8 before Judge Theresa M. Traber.

The plaintiff, Maria Elizabeth Castaneda, started working for Norwood in Sept 2002. Her duties included cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry. She was earning $125 per day, according to the lawsuit she filed.

She was fired from her job on February 25 because she was past 60, while Norwood didn’t want to employ an older worker. She also alleged that she wasn’t paid for her last two work days.

But Norwood’s attorneys argued that the plaintiff’s age discrimination and failure to prevent discrimination claims were valid under the state Fair Employment and Housing Act because their client did not regularly employ five or more employees during the time she employed the plaintiff. They further said Castaneda quit her job voluntarily and was an independent contractor.

They further argued her claim for wrongful termination should have been dismissed because it was tied to the discrimination allegations.

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