Singer Brandy Norwood finally reached a settlement with her ex-housekeeper, Maria Elizabeth Castaneda, who filed a suit against her, according to court documents obtained by KNX News on November 23. The context of the claim was based upon the premise of a discrimination allegation.
Castaneda settled for a $40,000 payout, and Brandy also agreed to pay for her former employee’s legal fees, whatever the final amount was determined to be by the court. There’s a follow-up hearing scheduled for December 8, where the final payment amounts will be chosen.
“To that end, through fiercely litigating the issue, Lipeles Law Group was able to secure a $40,000 settlement for our client within six months of filing the complaint,” Castaneda’s lawyers declared in the obtained court documents.
Initially, Maria Castaneda sued the ‘Missing You’ singer back in March for $250,000 over what she described as age discrimination; she said that Brandy wrongfully terminated her and, before doing so, denied her proper wages and the essential daily breaks that she was owed for meals while she worked for her. On top of the requested fee, Castaneda’s lawyers asked that Brandy pays for their client’s attorney fees, which were estimated to be up to $87,445.80, with the flexibility of the court’s decision on the costs.
Castaneda worked for Brandy Norwood from September 2002 to February 2022, and 20 years working for the singer didn’t stop the allegations from coming about this year. Housekeeping Brandy’s mansion in Calabasas, California, reports say that she was paid $125 each day of work, and she believed that she was still let go without at least two days of pay because Brandy didn’t want to have an “old” housekeeper.
Brandy and her legal team deny the allegations. They argue that it wasn’t age discrimination at all that led to Castaneda’s severance from her job, and in fact, the 43-year-old singer claimed that the housekeeper quit voluntarily.
