A former nanny of actress Sharon Stone recently filed a wrongful termination suit in a Los Angeles, California, court against the actress. The nanny is claiming she was fired because of employment discrimination.
According to the nanny, who is of Filipino decent, Stone fired her after making discriminating comments about her ethnicity and her religion. Stone hired the woman hired in 2006, promoted her to the top live-in nanny position in 2008 and fired her in February 2011.
The woman claims that starting in 2010, Stone made comments about the way the nanny spoke and about the food she ate. The woman also alleges that Stone made derogatory remarks about her heritage. At one point Stone allegedly asked the woman to stop talking to her children because of her accented English.
Furthermore, the former nanny claims that Stone banned the woman from reading the Bible while she lived in Stone’s house and worked for her. Stone also supposedly condemned the woman for attending church, and for her deeply held religious beliefs.
Under California law, an employee cannot be fired for discriminatory reasons. Employees are protected from discrimination based on age, ancestry, national origin and religion. If an employer fires an employee based on unlawful discrimination then the employee was wrongfully terminated.
Employees who have been wrongfully terminated, or who have experienced unlawful discrimination, are entitled to compensation. This can include lost wages, emotional distress damages and attorney’s fees.
The nanny is seeking damages, penalties and unpaid wages. A person who is wrongly terminated or is facing unlawful discrimination can consult an attorney with experience in these cases.
Source: USA Today, “Sharon Stone sued by housekeeper for harassment,” Ann Oldenburg, May 24, 2012
