Nicky Diaz comforted by attorney Gloria Allred (KTLA-TV / September 29, 2010) |
-
VIDEO: Whitman's Housekeeper Speaks Again, Chris Wolfe Reports
-
Sparks Fly Over Housekeeper in Whitman-Brown Debate
-
'Housekeepergate' Rules Gubernatorial Debate
-
- VIDEO: Round Two in Case of Meg Whitman vs. Former Housekeeper
- VIDEO: Allred Says Letter Proves Whitman is Lying, Team Coverage
- KTLA: Gloria Allred's High Profile Legal Cases
- Illegal Immigrants
- Lawyers
- Justice System
-
See more topics »
LOS ANGELES ( KTLA) -- A former housekeeper for gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman held a news conference Tuesday to tell the public she is not a puppet for attorney Gloria Allred, Jerry Brown or anyone else.
Nicky Diaz Santillan, appeared with Allred for a third week to claim that Meg Whitman knew she was an illegal immigrant when she worked for the former eBay founder for nine years. Santillan says it was only after Whitman launched her campaign that she was fired.
"I want everyone to know my name," Santillan said. "I make my own decisions and I am nobody's puppet."
"I want to be heard. I want people who clean houses and do the work no one wants to do to be treated with respect and dignity and feel that they have the right to be paid for all the work that we do."
Santillan also addressed Whitman directly. "Don't say you treated me like a member of your family because you didn't," the former housekeeper said.
"Ms. Whitman, in a desperate attempte to save her political campaign, has compounded her mistreatment of Nicky by lying about their relationship," Allred told reporters. "A member of her extended family? Really? Nicky was never invited to a family event or event to share a meal with Ms. Whitman's family."
Attorney Allred again refused to disclose how she came to represent Santillan, saying only that she was referred to her by a fellow attorney.
She added that it's her law firm's policy not to disclose who made the referral. She also refused to say whether the attorney had any connection with Whitman's opponent, Democratic state Attorney General Jerry Brown.
Whitman says Democrats are using her former housekeeper as a political pawn.
Allred released a copy of a 2003 letter notifying the Republican gubernatorial candidate that the employee might be an illegal immigrant.
She says Santillan kept the letter from the Social Security Administration after Whitman's husband partially filled it out and told the housekeeper to deal with it.
Last week, Allred produced a copy of the letter and said that the housekeeper recognized the handwriting as belonging to Whitman's husband.
Whitman said she never saw the letter and said she and her husband fired Santillan last year after she told them she was in the U.S. illegally.
"The Nicky I saw at the press conference three days ago was not the Nicky that I knew for nine years," Whitman said at the debate Saturday.
"And you know what my first clue was? She kept referring to me as Ms. Whitman. For the nine years she worked for me she called me Meg and I called her Nicky.
"You should be ashamed for sacrificing Nicky Diaz on the altar of your political ambitions," Whitman told Brown.
Brown said Whitman still refuses to take responsibility for her actions, and that suggests she's unfit to be governor.
"Don't run for governor if you can't stand up on your own two feet and say, 'Hey I made a mistake, I'm sorry, let's go on from here,'" Brown said.
"You have blamed her, blamed me, blamed the left, blamed the unions but you don't take accountability. You can't be a leader unless you're willing to stand on your own two feet and say, yup, I made a mistake and I'm going on from here."
Whitman has fiercely maintained claims that she knew about her housekeeper's immigration status are "all lies." She has even said she'd be willing to take a lie detector test.
She says the timing of the accusations was methodical, with the election just weeks away.
"This is just classic smear politics," Whitman said.
Santillan claims Whitman failed to reimburse her for extra hours and mileage she racked up while running special errands like picking up Whitman's children and husband from various locations.
"She never asked for reimbursement," Whitman responded.
In March 2005, the housekeeper asked for maternity leave and was told she needed to find her own replacement or face losing her job, Allred said.
Whitman said Santillan worked no more than 15 hours a week at a rate of $23 per hour, and only asked for Wednesdays off, which shes granted.
Santillan is filing a claim with the Labor Commission, seeking back wages and mileage.
Nicky Diaz Santillan, appeared with Allred for a third week to claim that Meg Whitman knew she was an illegal immigrant when she worked for the former eBay founder for nine years. Santillan says it was only after Whitman launched her campaign that she was fired.
"I want everyone to know my name," Santillan said. "I make my own decisions and I am nobody's puppet."
"I want to be heard. I want people who clean houses and do the work no one wants to do to be treated with respect and dignity and feel that they have the right to be paid for all the work that we do."
Santillan also addressed Whitman directly. "Don't say you treated me like a member of your family because you didn't," the former housekeeper said.
"Ms. Whitman, in a desperate attempte to save her political campaign, has compounded her mistreatment of Nicky by lying about their relationship," Allred told reporters. "A member of her extended family? Really? Nicky was never invited to a family event or event to share a meal with Ms. Whitman's family."
Attorney Allred again refused to disclose how she came to represent Santillan, saying only that she was referred to her by a fellow attorney.
She added that it's her law firm's policy not to disclose who made the referral. She also refused to say whether the attorney had any connection with Whitman's opponent, Democratic state Attorney General Jerry Brown.
Whitman says Democrats are using her former housekeeper as a political pawn.
Allred released a copy of a 2003 letter notifying the Republican gubernatorial candidate that the employee might be an illegal immigrant.
She says Santillan kept the letter from the Social Security Administration after Whitman's husband partially filled it out and told the housekeeper to deal with it.
Last week, Allred produced a copy of the letter and said that the housekeeper recognized the handwriting as belonging to Whitman's husband.
Whitman said she never saw the letter and said she and her husband fired Santillan last year after she told them she was in the U.S. illegally.
"The Nicky I saw at the press conference three days ago was not the Nicky that I knew for nine years," Whitman said at the debate Saturday.
"And you know what my first clue was? She kept referring to me as Ms. Whitman. For the nine years she worked for me she called me Meg and I called her Nicky.
"You should be ashamed for sacrificing Nicky Diaz on the altar of your political ambitions," Whitman told Brown.
Brown said Whitman still refuses to take responsibility for her actions, and that suggests she's unfit to be governor.
"Don't run for governor if you can't stand up on your own two feet and say, 'Hey I made a mistake, I'm sorry, let's go on from here,'" Brown said.
"You have blamed her, blamed me, blamed the left, blamed the unions but you don't take accountability. You can't be a leader unless you're willing to stand on your own two feet and say, yup, I made a mistake and I'm going on from here."
Whitman has fiercely maintained claims that she knew about her housekeeper's immigration status are "all lies." She has even said she'd be willing to take a lie detector test.
She says the timing of the accusations was methodical, with the election just weeks away.
"This is just classic smear politics," Whitman said.
Santillan claims Whitman failed to reimburse her for extra hours and mileage she racked up while running special errands like picking up Whitman's children and husband from various locations.
"She never asked for reimbursement," Whitman responded.
In March 2005, the housekeeper asked for maternity leave and was told she needed to find her own replacement or face losing her job, Allred said.
Whitman said Santillan worked no more than 15 hours a week at a rate of $23 per hour, and only asked for Wednesdays off, which shes granted.
Santillan is filing a claim with the Labor Commission, seeking back wages and mileage.
