Back in March 2022, Maria Elizabeth Castaneda, who is also known as Elizabeth Juarez, had been Brandy’s housekeeper for nearly 20 years. She was 60 years old and since September 2002, she catered to R&B singer’s Brandy’s wants and needs; cleaning up after her, cooking her meals and seeing to her dirty laundry. She was paid $125 a day but then, she was suddenly fired.
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Brandy’s Former Housekeeper, Maria, Sued Brandy for Wrongful Termination
She’s sued Brandy for wrongful termination, primarily accusing the singer of age discrimination. She claims that Brandy fired her on February 25th 2022 because she ‘didn’t want an older employee’.
There were other allegations; no proper breaks or regular meal times, and years of no overtime pay. Even the court queried the lack of itemized pay slips as a violation of Castaneda’s employment rights.
Castaneda was still owed two days’ pay when fired. It’s an amount that doesn’t mean that much to some people. Perhaps a half-reasonable dinner out. But Brandy’s insensitive conduct has lost Castaneda her steady income and her benefits. At 60, it damaged her capacity to find similarly paid work.
Maria Castaneda Settled for $40,000
Initially, she sought damages totaling over $250,000 but in her modesty, she settled for only $40,000. The battle wasn’t over for Brandy though. Her lawyers, Lipes Law Firm, moved in to secure their fees. They asked the court to award them between $39,194.46 and $87,445.80 on top of the settlement.
When it looked as if Brandy would have to look to her own needs for a while, there was a twist. In January 2023, the court ordered her to pay just $32,000 of the fees. It firmly rejected the idea that her ‘star status’ automatically earned them a better bounty. The court even suggested the case could have been settled earlier, before the ‘unflattering’ allegations hit the media.
Thankfully, Brandy had the sense to be embarrassed. The incident raised all sorts of speculation about how she treated her staff although she has always denied Castaneda’s age discrimination allegation.
The technical defense her lawyers put forward didn’t help her cause. They argued Brandy didn’t employ enough regular staff for the state’s discrimination laws to apply. Anyway, they added that Castaneda was an independent contractor, and she had just quit.
Brandy was the star of ‘Moesha’ and is a grammy award winner, but on this one, the optics looked bad. She was accused of hypocrisy after being very outspoken in her support of social justice.
Brandy Norwood Sued By Designer
As it goes, Brandy is known for her sweet persona. She’s close to her mom and manager, Sonja Norwood. But this legal tangle wasn’t her only headache. In January 2022, she was sued by designer, Elle B. Mambetov, for failing to return a ring she had supposedly borrowed for the American Music Awards. Brandy denies she ever had it.
Even though the $40,000 settlement and a favorable ruling on lawyer fees meant Castaneda’s case didn’t make it to court, the allegations left a nasty taste in the mouth. Brandy’s good reputation is tarnished. This peek into her private life has disappointed many fans.
