Housekeeper Made to Jump Through Hoops in Basketball Star's Home
By Gordon Gibb
Santa Ana, CA California labor laws exist to protect innocent workers from the unfair practices of employers. Most infractions allegedly occur in a large, organized work environment but not always. Sometimes they allegedly happen in the home of a famous sports icon, with the alleged victim working in a domestic setting.
Such is the case with Maria Jimenez, the former housekeeper for NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant. Jimenez filed a lawsuit last week in Orange County Superior Court alleging that she was "harassed and humiliated" while on the job. The plaintiff also alleges that she was denied health insurance and was ultimately forced to quit her job due to "intolerable" working conditions.
Working in someone's home may present a more intimate stetting than working in a large corporation, but California labor law applies nonetheless.
In court papers filed earlier this month, Jimenez alleges that she was promised health insurance when she was hired, but realized too late that the promised coverage had not been secured on her behalf after she incurred more than $127,000 in medical bills for a back injury, and surgery to remove an ovarian cyst.
The 48-year-old former housekeeper also alleges in court documents that she is owed more than $20,000 in earnings that have been wrongfully withheld, together with unpaid overtime. She argues there should also be penalties for not being paid properly.
The most sensational aspect of the case, however, remains the alleged abuse suffered by Jimenez while on the job in the Bryant household, in which she worked from September 2007 to March of 2008??"a tenure of just six months.
From the time she began her employment at the Bryant home, Jimenez alleges that she was "badgered, harassed and humiliated" by Vanessa Bryant??"the basketball star's wife??"behavior that continued until Jimenez finally found the situation to be intolerable and quit.
The former housekeeper alleges that she was harassed by Vanessa Bryant in front of Kobe Bryant, the couple's children, and others. According to court documents "Vanessa began a continuing pattern of verbally abusing and demeaning (Jimenez)," and the plaintiff claims she was called lazy, slow, dumb, a liar and was cursed and screamed at.
When Jimenez finally approached Kobe Bryant about quitting the basketball star is said to have talked her out of it and elicited an apology from his wife, court papers said. But then, the plaintiff said, the abuse began again.
According to court papers Vanessa Bryant screamed at Jimenez for putting an expensive blouse, worth $690 in the clothes washer, then directed Jimenez to retrieve the price tag from a jar containing dog feces with her bare hand. When Jimenez finally gave notice, Vanessa Bryant allegedly insisted that Jimenez continue to work until her next payday in order to cover the cost of the blouse, which Jimenez said she did.
The Jimenez lawsuit claims that working conditions in the home were intolerable, and that the situation constituted a violation of California labor laws that protect workers from being forced to toil in unhealthy situations.
The action seeks unspecified general, punitive and special damages, as well as back pay and the overtime Jimenez says she is owed.
Such is the case with Maria Jimenez, the former housekeeper for NBA basketball star Kobe Bryant. Jimenez filed a lawsuit last week in Orange County Superior Court alleging that she was "harassed and humiliated" while on the job. The plaintiff also alleges that she was denied health insurance and was ultimately forced to quit her job due to "intolerable" working conditions.
Working in someone's home may present a more intimate stetting than working in a large corporation, but California labor law applies nonetheless.In court papers filed earlier this month, Jimenez alleges that she was promised health insurance when she was hired, but realized too late that the promised coverage had not been secured on her behalf after she incurred more than $127,000 in medical bills for a back injury, and surgery to remove an ovarian cyst.
The 48-year-old former housekeeper also alleges in court documents that she is owed more than $20,000 in earnings that have been wrongfully withheld, together with unpaid overtime. She argues there should also be penalties for not being paid properly.
The most sensational aspect of the case, however, remains the alleged abuse suffered by Jimenez while on the job in the Bryant household, in which she worked from September 2007 to March of 2008??"a tenure of just six months.
From the time she began her employment at the Bryant home, Jimenez alleges that she was "badgered, harassed and humiliated" by Vanessa Bryant??"the basketball star's wife??"behavior that continued until Jimenez finally found the situation to be intolerable and quit.
The former housekeeper alleges that she was harassed by Vanessa Bryant in front of Kobe Bryant, the couple's children, and others. According to court documents "Vanessa began a continuing pattern of verbally abusing and demeaning (Jimenez)," and the plaintiff claims she was called lazy, slow, dumb, a liar and was cursed and screamed at.
When Jimenez finally approached Kobe Bryant about quitting the basketball star is said to have talked her out of it and elicited an apology from his wife, court papers said. But then, the plaintiff said, the abuse began again.
According to court papers Vanessa Bryant screamed at Jimenez for putting an expensive blouse, worth $690 in the clothes washer, then directed Jimenez to retrieve the price tag from a jar containing dog feces with her bare hand. When Jimenez finally gave notice, Vanessa Bryant allegedly insisted that Jimenez continue to work until her next payday in order to cover the cost of the blouse, which Jimenez said she did.
The Jimenez lawsuit claims that working conditions in the home were intolerable, and that the situation constituted a violation of California labor laws that protect workers from being forced to toil in unhealthy situations.
The action seeks unspecified general, punitive and special damages, as well as back pay and the overtime Jimenez says she is owed.
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