Here’s a weird kind of palate-cleanser for a day filled with legal argument and outrage, as well as a cautionary tale for people who hire live-in nannies for their kids. The Bracamontes hired Diane Stretton to care for their children, trading services in part for room and board. When the 64-year-old woman ended up refusing to work, the Bracamontes told Stretton to leave. She refused to do that, too, claiming that she was a tenant and that the Bracamontes had to go through the legal process of eviction — and a court agreed. Stretton’s been there for a few weeks now, smiling and threatening to sue the Bracamontes if they try to push her out. The Bracamontes can’t leave the house either, afraid that Stretton will change the locks on them.
ABC now reports that Stretton may agree to leave by the end of the week, with a particular emphasis on may:
Does she have a case? CNN says … yes:
Stretton has disappeared since the case went viral, as CNN notes, and that brings us to the moral of this cautionary tale — be sure to do some research before hiring a live-in nanny. Had the Bracamontes dug a little deeper into Stretton’s past, they would have discovered this:
CNN discovered that Stretton is on the California’s Vexatious Litigant List, a list of people who continually bring legal action, regardless of merit, against others with the sole intention of harassment. CNN found dozens of lawsuits filed by Stretton in California over the years.
“Bottom line, seriously do some research first,” the CNN host advises. Indeed.
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