Why Mariah Carey Was Sued By Her Former Nanny
The nanny claims she worked in horrible conditions.
Featureflash Photo Agency | Shutterstock | Instagram Mariah Carey doesn't give much away about raising her two kids but maybe that's because it's not always plane sailing behind-the-scenes.
In 2018, Carey, who shares two children, twins, Moroccan Scott Cannon and Monroe, 11, with her ex-husband, Nick Cannon, was named in a lawsuit filed by her former nanny, Maria Burgues.
Mariah Carey former nanny claims the star didn't pay her enough.
Burgues filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, according to TMZ, and said that the "We Belong Together" singer only paid her $25 an hour to babysit her two children.
Carey's former nanny was also expected to travel with the children and Carey while the singer was on tour, but was not paid for the extra time taken to travel.
In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Burgues, who worked for Carey from late 2017 to early 2018, said that she also wasn't allowed to take the "required breaks" she was meant to get under California law.
Burgues also named Carey's bodyguard, Marcio Moto, in the suit.
The former nanny alleged that Moto would often yell and make her feel threatened.
According to a specific incident that happened in December 2017, Burgues claimed she, Moto, and Carey's children, were all driving to Las Vegas when Moto began yelling and threatening to kick Burgues out of the car and leave her on the side of the road.
When Burgues attempted to complain about the incident, she said nothing was done about it.
In another incident, Burgues explained that she and Moto were picking up Carey's children from dance class when they walked out of the studio unnoticed by Moto.
The bodyguard later blamed Burgues, even though he was allegedly distracted by his phone. He yelled at the former nanny in front of the children, dance instructors, and other nannies.
Per the suit, Burgues was fired shortly after and is seeking compensation for severe emotional distress.
She also alleged that she was not given proper wage statements and was not given her total wages after she was fired.
This isn't the first time Carey was sued by a former nanny.
In January 2015, Carey and her ex-husband, Nick Cannon, were sued by their former nanny who claimed she was owed unpaid overtime wages from when she worked for the former couple.
According to Us Weekly, Simonette DaCosta took care of Carey and Cannon's children from October 2013 until January 2014, during which she claimed to have worked between 84 hours and 120 hours per week.
In the lawsuit, DaCosta alleged that she was on duty all hours of the day "with no entitlement for breaks, for meals, and even for sleep."
She claimed that Carey would call "at hours in the middle of the night and demand to be taken to her children or to be updated as to the status of her children."
The suit was eventually settled by June 2015, according to Page Six, though the amount of the settlement was never disclosed.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.