Kathryn Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 http://abcnews.go.com/US/family-stumped-fired-live-nanny-leave/story?id=24316229 This is preposterous! I think I'd have to get creative on how to get this woman out of my home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Obviously she has to be evicted according to the landlord-tenant laws (probably more than 30 days)and probably also fired according to employment regulations (probably not for illness). This is why you don't hire people informally, or 'rent' informally. There are laws and standards. That's why there are contracts about these things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I read that earlier and thought it was crazy! I wonder if they could somehow trick her into leaving for bit and then pack her stuff and lock her out. I think I would probably send the kids off to grandma's house or something as well because I would be scared having someone like that sharing space with my children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 I'm surprised they didn't do a background check before they hired her. And, agree, they should have had a contract. Yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 That is near me!!! I knew it was CA when I saw the headline LOL Yep, 30 days and they are "protected" by tenant laws. That is why most leases I had said any visitor over 2 weeks needed to be added to the lease (so they could approve or deny the request). Seems she did her job the first period of time to establish residency then quit. And seriously, no background check???? or maybe they only did a basic one. More extensive ones would check court filings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted June 26, 2014 Share Posted June 26, 2014 Background checks are a good thing. Using an agency, also a good thing. I'd be tempted to change the locks, empty the house of food, and send the rest of the family on "vacation" until she leaves the home. More likely, the family should (and probably already has) contacted a lawyer to begin eviction proceedings. I wish them good luck; from what I've heard, California's laws can be a bear to navigate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amira Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I agree with bolt. Contracts help. Of course, their arrangement is likely not legal anyway, unless they were expecting very little from the nanny in exchange for room and board. I doubt this agreement follows labor laws, and this family needs the law on their side right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 "Bracamonte soon realized that this was not Stretton’s first time with legal matters. Stretton reportedly has been involved in 36 lawsuits, landing herself on California’s Vexatious Litigant Lists for repeatedly abusing the legal system. “Anyone who looks at her crooked, she sues,†said Bracamonte. She claims that Stretton is now threatening to sue for wrongful firing and elder abuse. Stretton is still living in the family's home, eating the family's food and Bracamonte said Stretton told her she wanted the family out of the house from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m." I say... she sounds like a winner! Note to self (and anyone else), always do a background check on people like this BEFORE inviting them into your house - or rental - or anything. I feel for this family... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 It would be illegal for them to change the locks on someone who lives in the house and they would be in a lot of trouble if they did so. However, they should be able to sue her for the food she is stealing and maybe rent depending on the contract they have and the states laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 What kind of idiots hire someone to CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN and LIVE IN THEIR HOME without doing enough research to find out that she has sued 36 other people???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Send in the bedbugs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 What kind of idiots hire someone to CARE FOR THEIR CHILDREN and LIVE IN THEIR HOME without doing enough research to find out that she has sued 36 other people???? I was wondering that myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Send in the bedbugs... Bedbugs would be even tougher to get rid of. I wonder how she feels about snakes... that would get me to leave a place quickly. Later I'd have to make sure the count out = the count in though. Youngest would be more than willing to oblige in the task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Why would you not do even a basic background check if you are hiring them to help with your children?????? :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I don't know if a criminal background check would turn up civil court issues. Nor a CPS check. Anyone know? I'd be locking up every scrap of food. I don't see how, even if she's been granted 'tenants rights' that she is entitled to food. And her demanding they vacate their OWN HOME for 12 hrs a day? IN. Sane. I wouldn't vacate the property though. God only knows the damage she would do, left there unattended, including moving other ppl in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted June 27, 2014 Author Share Posted June 27, 2014 Okay I googled her name and the first link that came up apart from this story is this http://www.courts.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub/D062276.PDF A lawsuit related to her father's estate and it mentions very early on (I only read a couple of pages) that she was declared a vexatious litigant or whatever the term was based in part on her numerous suits related to her parents estates. So, perhaps he could have played that off if they'd found that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Ok, the nanny needs to go. But the family is stupid too. You don't get a professional full time nanny and housekeeper in exchange for room and board and zero wages. This is not Alice and the Bradys people. This sounds to me like a big fat case of "you get what you pay for." They didn't do their due diligence and it sounds like they probably weren't following employment law at all. It sounds like a really loose situation fraught with things that could go wrong. I would so not be having my kids stay there while this is resolved. Hopefully this is a wake up call to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Ok, the nanny needs to go. But the family is stupid too. You don't get a professional full time nanny and housekeeper in exchange for room and board and zero wages. This is not Alice and the Brady's people. This sounds to me like a big fat case of "you get what you pay for." They didn't do their due diligence and it sounds like they probably weren't following employment law at all. It sounds like a really loose situation fraught with things that could go wrong. I would so not be having my kids stay there while this is resolved. Hopefully this is a wake up call to them. the article I read said they found her on Craigslist. :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 the article I read said they found her on Craigslist. :huh: Well, there's a winning plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I don't know if a criminal background check would turn up civil court issues. Nor a CPS check. Anyone know? I'd be locking up every scrap of food. I don't see how, even if she's been granted 'tenants rights' that she is entitled to food. And her demanding they vacate their OWN HOME for 12 hrs a day? IN. Sane. I wouldn't vacate the property though. God only knows the damage she would do, left there unattended, including moving other ppl in. There are types of background checks that will pull any legal matters that the person has been involved(named) in, but the basic one would not (only arrests/convictions). I am pretty sure they could (and I would be) locking up all food and other rooms (besides her bedroom and 1 bathroom). Also wifi/internet/cable would be gone. (Pretty sure they cannot turn of electricity/gas, etc.) They REALLY need an experienced lawyer and hopefully they had a written contract :huh: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgazer Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I'd starve her out. Turn off the electricity to the house, wipe out the groceries, and eat out for a month. Camp in a tent in the back yard, and once she left to do food shopping, change the locks and put her crap on the sidewalk. Let *her* fight to get back in, if she's so litigious. Probably not legal in crazy California, but I'd do it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I would remove the door from her room and start putting her stuff on the front lawn to sell. I agree the parents in this case are definitely not the brightest bulbs in the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I would make it a living hell to live there, doing anything I possibly could within the law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 That's just insane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I would invite friends over and party outside her bedroom, no groceries would be kept in the house ever, and I'd be tempted to get myself a new Rottweiler or Doberman to keep in the house to bark at her every time she moves. It's their home. She cannot stop them from getting a dog. If at all possible, I would make her as miserable as humanly possible while living legally in my home, and possibly I'd decide that my house needed to be treated for mice, or some sort of bug and invite the exterminators to come. She would have to leave, but most certainly they are under no obligation to provide her with a hotel for the duration. More than anything they need the kind of attorney that makes a rabid dog seem friendly because what they've done is incredibly stupid and now they have a rather bad person living in their home with their children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I would make it a living hell to live there, doing anything I possibly could within the law. You know there's something wrong with "the law" when a family can't legally just oust someone like this by taking her stuff to the curb and changing the locks - without having to go through legal channels. They have tried with letters and 30 day periods, etc. It's not like they just kicked her out without warning on a whim of theirs. They ought to countersue, but I suspect she doesn't have anything of actual value I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Quit feeding her, throw her stuff out on the curb and change the locks. If the police says it's a 'civil' matter one way, it should be the other way as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I want to know how it's elder abuse. what, b/c they don't want her to mooch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Obviously the woman has a screw loose, but I can't bring myself to feel too sorry for the family, either. (Well, the adults, anyway.) They wanted to get a nanny and housekeeper under the table and pay her what amounts to less than minimum wage. Hello, karma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Uh, here you have to pay a live-in nanny. You can arrange to deduct a certain amount for room and board, but you can't just not pay someone for working. It actually kind of bothers me that they say they've done this several times. I'm not sure that's legal. It's not here. She's a loon, but it's unpleasant to think that other people have been working under illegal conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Also, you can't just change the locks and evict someone who lives as a tenant in your home. You have to go to civil court; That's what a "civil matter" is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 They should offer her money to leave. It can be that simple. It's not right, but it can be effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I'd starve her out. Turn off the electricity to the house, wipe out the groceries, and eat out for a month. Camp in a tent in the back yard, and once she left to do food shopping, change the locks and put her crap on the sidewalk. Let *her* fight to get back in, if she's so litigious. Probably not legal in crazy California, but I'd do it anyway. I bet this woman knows the system better than most lawyers. She is probably hoping they do what you suggest so she can sue the pants off of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I have friends in a very similar situation, and was kind of shocked that they'd gone to the media because they aren't the type. But it wasn't them. Is this a common scam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne in CA Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 My oldest had a job as a nanny last summer for $100 a week. She did the cooking, cleaning and watched the kids and they fed her, gave her a very small room, and paid her $100 a week. We bought our restaurant and offered her a job waiting tables that would have paid way more than $100 a day during fishing season, that would start when her nanny job was over. Guess what? The $100 a week people begged her not to leave at the time she had planned to leave. They begged her to stay four more weeks. They never gave her any more money, but they guilt-ed her into staying because they needed her so much. Yuck. I am sure these people are similar. If you cannot afford to pay minimum wage for an employee, you do not need the employee. They got caught in a bad scenario, but trying to get something for nothing is a very bad idea. We let one of our best employees leave who wanted to work under the table to get more disability. We decided not to take part in that. You have to own the choices you make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Obviously she has to be evicted according to the landlord-tenant laws (probably more than 30 days)and probably also fired according to employment regulations (probably not for illness). This is why you don't hire people informally, or 'rent' informally. There are laws and standards. That's why there are contracts about these things. Indeed. They aren't too bright themselves. What person in their right mind would have someone they have no background check and contract or anything on move in and take care of their kids?! That's crazy. That family is in for an expensive and long nightmarish roller last ride down crazy street before this will be resolved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 This is not Alice and the Bradys people. Alice was paid, though, right? Please tell me Alice was paid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 It is surprisingly hard to get a person who has been living in your home to leave. Even calling the police and them not being on the lease won't do it. I will from now on remember that when I am inclined to be critical of parents of young adults who seem to fail to enforce boundaries with their acting out young adults. I didn't know until I knew; and I hate the way I learned this tidbit of info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mysticmomma Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Wow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I would never have hired a live-in nanny off Craigslist and without a significant background check to begin with. But if I were in their position, I would try out some of the many ways to be an obnoxious neighbor, hostess, or landlord that I've learned about on this forum. I would make it as unpleasant a place to live as possible while still being legal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 California, right? Turn off the central air:) Suddenly decide that the family will be Freegans for awhile...family can eat in town. Adopt or borrow an annoying pet. A large snake that is allowed free roming, or a dog trained to bark at her. Begin playing loud, incessant music at random times. Sign the kids up for trumpet and violin lessons. Preferably one of each. Or don't, but purchase the instruments and let them have at it. Bribe them to play if necessary. Decide major house renovations are in order. Anything that involves banging and sawing. Restrict parking. Charge for it. Borrow a friends RV if necessary to park in the driveway. Password protect all Internet, wireless, cable, etc., access. That way family can still use it but nobody else. Have daily summer playdates with lots of kids and their parents at the house to maximize chaos. Print thousands of PSA flyers with her picture...nothing libelous or slanderous, just the facts. And so forth. And change the attitude...this woman is obviously hoping to be paid to leave. Don't feed into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 California, right? Turn off the central air:) I lived in three different places in California and never had AC in my apartments or homes, so I don't think that would work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I lived in three different places in California and never had AC in my apartments or homes, so I don't think that would work. In Upland? It would work. I mean, I'm sure it's survivable with fans. We've survived 100+ temps with fans. But it isn't pleasant after a certain point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I would definitely lockdown all food and would eliminate any access to wireless services (phone, internet, television), even if it meant I had to go without it myself. Since it's summer, I'd see if the kids could stay elsewhere for a while. Aside from that, I'd do my best to make sure all other actions were legally sound. The laws are crazy sometimes; I wouldn't want to take a chance on making the situation worse. Any of you remember that movie, Pacific Heights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Where does the nanny get off saying she wants the family out of the house between 8am and 8pm? That's so weird... I would definitely not bend to that. Gotta agree with what others have said already - they made a poor hiring decision to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Wow, who would've thought that acquiring slave labor would backfire in some way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Any of you remember that movie, Pacific Heights? Love that movie. An "only in SF" type of story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Wow, who would've thought that acquiring slave labor would backfire in some way? Snort! Good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 Wow, who would've thought that acquiring slave labor would backfire in some way? It's not necessarily slave labor. Say the going rate to let the room w/utilities, cable, and internet is $500/mo, plus meals $300/mo, that's $200/week, so it would be reasonable to expect at $10/hr, 20 hours of work a week. With non crazy person, maybe one on disability or social security so has modest other income and can't do strenuous standard job stuff, a reasonable deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted June 27, 2014 Share Posted June 27, 2014 I'm not getting the leap to 'slavery'. She was helping a SAHM. Room and board in exchange for helping w/the kids and some housework. It doesn't say she was paid, but doesn't say she *wasn't* either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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