Teddi Mellencamp is being sued for over $2 million by her former live-in housekeeper and nanny, Julia Umana.
Just one day after the 43-year-old Real Housewives of Beverly Hills alum confirmed doctors had found multiple tumors on her brain, Teddi is now facing allegations of racial discrimination and harassment by Julia who is claiming she was wrongfully fired by Teddi, not properly compensated, and treated more poorly than Teddi’s white employees.
In court documents obtained by TMZ on February 13, Julia alleged that Teddi made her job a living hell and treated her worse than any other celebrity she’d worked with.
According to Julia, Teddi abused the power she had over her and often failed to pay her the money she was owed. She also said Teddi created a hostile work environment and accused her of stealing — while failing to do the same to her fellow employees who were white.
Julia, who is an immigrant from El Salvador, went on to accuse Teddi of mocking her when she spoke Spanish and speaking to her in a nasty tone that she did not use with her white staffers.
Although Julia reached her breaking point with her employment and informed Teddi that she’d be quitting, Teddi convinced her to work three additional shifts, which were 12 hours each, and paid her just $325. Then, when she complained about the compensation, she was fired.
In her lawsuit, Julia said that in addition to being wrongfully terminated by Teddi, she is still owed unpaid wages by the former RHOBH cast member and is suing for over $2 million in damages.
The lawsuit comes just after Teddi was forced to undergo emergency surgery to have two of her brain tumors removed. At the hospital, she’s received support and visits from Kyle Richards, 56, Morgan Wade, 30, and her estranged husband, Edwin Arroyave, 47, and is expected to undergo radiation to remove the rest of her tumors in the near future.
“I am blessed to be surrounded by my children, family, friends, doctors, nurses[,] and surgeons who are doing everything possible to get me back into better health. Thank you to everybody who has reached out, and to everyone who has supported me along this journey,” she told her fans and followers earlier this week.
Teddi’s camp had no comment about Julia’s lawsuit.
