Mercedes Wedaa, a former housekeeper of Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, has filed a lawsuit against him after accusing him of racially discriminating against her, forcing her to work under bad conditions and making going to the bathroom a nightmare.
Mercedes Wedaa who began working at Bezos’ Seattle mansion back in 2019, also claimed that Bezos’ team allegedly treated her and other Hispanic cleaning staff members much differently compared to the white employees.
According to her, the household manager was “aggressive and abusive” to her, while being “respectful and polite” to the white staff. She also claimed that she would often work 10-14 hour shifts, but was unable to take a break while Bezos and his family were on-property. Wedaa also claimed she wasn’t allowed to enter the home unless actively cleaning, which is where going to the bathroom became a major issue.
The legal documents further alleged that Wedaa and other housekeepers “were forced to climb out of the laundry room window to the outside. Then run along the path to the mechanical room, through the mechanical room and downstairs to a bathroom.” The former housekeeper is now seeking damages from Bezos and 2 companies that manage his properties. Commenting on the lawsuit, Bezos’ attorney, Harry Korrell said; ,
“We have investigated the claims, and they lack merit. Ms. Wedaa made over six figures annually and was the lead housekeeper. 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. She initially demanded over $9M, and when the company refused, she decided to file this suit. Given their backgrounds, the suggestion that Mr. Bezos, Ms. Sanchez, or Northwestern LLC discriminated against Ms. Wedaa based on her race or national origin is absurd.”