| Wednesday 28 January 2015 |
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Mariah's ex-nanny says she worked 100 hours a week
Mariah Carey's apparently a diva at home, too. A former live-in nanny for the superstar says the "Hero" singer forced her to work 100-hour weeks - and then refused to pay her any overtime. In papers filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, Simonette Da Costa says she went to work for Carey and her now estranged husband Nick Cannon in October of 2013.
"As such, she attended to their needs not only at home, but also during Ms. Carey's travels for her global concerts and appearances," the suit says. "She was was on call 24 hours a day. She was always at their beck and call," said Da Costa's lawyer, Eli Freedberg.
The suit says Da Costa "was always behind the scenes and often by Ms. Carey's side". She was paid between $6,000- and $7,200-a-month for taking care of fraternal twins Moroccan and Monroe - but didn't get any overtime, and there was plenty of it.
"Plaintiff was on duty during all hours of each 24 hour day with no entitlement for breaks, for meals, and even for sleep. Indeed, Ms. Carey would often call plaintiff at hours in the middle of the night and demand to be taken to her children or to be updated on the status of her children," the suit says. "Ms. Carey would not tolerate any delay when she called and plaintiff had to attend to her every demand, spontaneous or otherwise."
Da Costa says she was fired in January of last year after Carey berated her "for expressing too much affection for their children". Freedberg said Carey was "jealous" of the nanny's relationship with her kids. "She was caring for the children too well. (Carey) was worried they were getting confused who the mommy was," he said.
The suit says other caretakers may join in on the case. Carey "cycled through these nannies pretty quickly," he said. "My understanding is that Ms. Carey didn't want the children developing any lasting relationship with the women." He estimated that the former power couple owe his client about $100,000 in damages. A rep for Carey said, "We don't comment on frivolous lawsuits."
The suit is the second in over a month to charge that Carey was a tyrannical boss who'd stiff her help. She was sued in December for allegedly cheating her longtime staffer, Ylser Oliver, out of overtime for a whopping seven years. Oliver said she worked 10 to 16 hours a day, six to seven days a week, cleaning Carey's home and tending to her needs. That case is pending.
The 44-year-old songstress isn't exactly hurting for cash - she announced earlier this month that she'd be doing a residency at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas for a reported $30 million. Carey is worth an estimated $250 million, according to the website, celebritynetworth.com. (New York Daily News)
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