Jeff Bezos' Former Housekeeper Sues, Claiming 14 Hour Work Days; His Lawyer Says She Demanded $9M

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, one of the world’s first trillion-dollar companies, is being sued by a former housekeeper that claims she was forced to work for up to 14 hours without a break and had to climb out of a laundry room window to go to the toilet.

What happened: Mercedes Wedaa, a nearly three-year employee of Bezos, is seeking back pay and benefits, as well as monetary damages, over claims that she and other Hispanic staff members were subjected to racial discrimination, and unsanitary work conditions.

According to the complaint, Bezos' house staff lacked a designated break room, rest area, and easily accessible restroom.

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The complaint says workers would attempt to eat in the laundry room, and were prevented from using a restroom in an adjacent security room, requiring them to climb out a window to use the restroom.

The lawsuit also claimed that housekeepers "frequently developed Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)" because they did not have easy access to restrooms.

“Labor and employment laws say working people must be paid for the work they perform, and must be able to perform that work in a safe, sanitary and healthy workplace,” said Patrick McGuigan, a lawyer representing Wedaa.

Wedaa further claimed that one of Bezos' house managers "became aggressive and abusive" toward her and mistreated her and other Hispanic employees.

“We’ve investigated these claims, they have no merit, and we’ll defend against them,” Harry Korrell, an attorney who represents Bezos and other defendants, told Fortune in an emailed statement.

Korell also said that Wedaa insisted that Bezos pay her $9 million before she filed the lawsuit.

Zefram LLC and Northwestern LLC, which the lawsuit names as organizations that handle Bezos's assets, are named as defendants in the dispute.

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Photo: Courtesy of Steve Jurvetson on flickr