Brandy went to court to defend herself against accusations she discriminated against her longtime housekeeper due to her age.
via: Vibe
Back in March, Brandy Norwood was sued by her longtime housekeeper, Maria Elizabeth Castaneda, over wrongful termination and for violating California state labor laws. The singer’s former hire alleged that her dismissal was rooted in ageist discrimination and that she wasn’t provided with the required meal breaks.
Castaneda also claimed that the “Almost Doesn’t Count” singer didn’t pay her for her final two days of work and is seeking over $250,000 in damages and lost wages.
Court documents suggest that Castaneda was not Brandy’s employee, but rather an independent contractor who performed housekeeping duties while the 60-year-old claims to have worked for the Queens star since 2002 making $125 per day.
Brandy’s legal team shared in court that the 43-year-old denies all claims and damages and refuses to settle the matter out of court. Castaneda first filed a complaint with California Fair Employment and Housing before filing the civil lawsuit. The trial is anticipated to take five days in court, but an official date has not yet been set.
Brandy faced a separate lawsuit back in January 2022 when she and her stylist, Ashley Sean Thomas, were sued by designer Elle B. Mambetov for allegedly not returning a borrowed ring she was supposed to wear to the American Music Awards. Brandy’s team refuted the claim by stating “[she] 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.”
There is no available update regarding that lawsuit.
Brandy has denied wrongdoing.
