Jeff Bezos is being sued by a former housekeeper who claims she contracted UTIs at his Seattle mansion due to poor working conditions.
As reported by ABC News, former housekeeper Mercedes Wedaa filed the lawsuit against the Amazon founder claiming "unsafe and unhealthy work conditions" at his Washington home.
According to the lawsuit, which was filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle this week, Wedaa and other housekeeping staff worked up to 14 hours a day and failed to receive proper meals or rest breaks.
The ex-housekeeper was hired by the billionaire in 2019 and worked into 2021. The suit states that she was promoted to lead housekeeper and took orders from Bezos and his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez.
Wedaa contends in the lawsuit that housekeepers were not allowed to use a bathroom in the security room and had to climb out of the laundry room window to get to another toilet.
According to the complaint, she and other housekeepers developed urinary tract infections as they "had to spend large parts of their day unable to use the toilet".
It isn't clear in the complaint how the workers entered the laundry room or how long they were allowed to remain in there if the family was home, or whether they could use a toilet when they entered the house to perform cleaning tasks.
Wedaa's attorney, Patrick Leo McGuigan, explained that he didn't have additional details regarding that matter, saying: "I did not question my client ad nauseum. She had to climb out a window. That's the key fact."
"I can't explain every circumstance and every piece of evidence there is. There's a lot of discovery to take place," Leo McGuigan added, per ABC News.
Wedaa, who is Hispanic, also alleges that household managers were only "respectful and polite" to white members of staff but treated the Hispanic cleaning staff poorly.
She also complained that an assistant house manager mistreated the Hispanic housekeepers on the property and punished her by downgrading her role and establishing a white housekeeper as the lead housekeeper.
Though Wedaa was never disciplined over her job performance, the lawsuit said that she was ultimately released from her position over complaints from other staff.
"Defendants cited the ridiculously concocted reason that she appeared 'unhappy' and that this was having a negative effect on the housekeeping team," it states, per ABC news.
In addition to Bezos, the lawsuit also names Zefram and Northwestern, the billionaire's two companies that manage properties and personal investments for the businessman.
The business mogul's attorney, Harry Korrell, has called the claims absurd and said Wedaa filed the lawsuit against Bezos and his two companies only after her demand for a $9 million payout was rejected.
"Ms. Wedaa made over six figures annually and was the lead housekeeper," Korrell said in an emailed statement, according to ABC news.
"She was responsible for her own break and meal times, and there were several bathrooms and breakrooms available to her and other staff. The evidence will show that Ms. Wedaa was terminated for performance reasons," he added.
The lawsuit against one of the world's richest people seeks damages in an amount that is yet to be determined at trial.
