An immigrant housekeeper filed a civil lawsuit against a Dickerson family Tuesday, saying they forced her to work without pay and didn’t let her return to her D.C. home until the region’s largest immigration advocacygroup intervened more than four months later.
Janet Gonzalez, a legal Venezuelan immigrant, saysin court documents that Belinda and James Caron and their daughter, Brittany, all of Dickerson, forced her to clean their house, iron their clothes and cook meals seven days a week — while promising payment, but never actually giving her any money between September and January.
According to the lawsuit, the family also refused to drive Gonzalez to the Shady Grove Metro station, effectively stranding her in the rural Montgomery County community.
CASA de Maryland announced the lawsuit on the steps of the Montgomery County Council building in Rockville on Tuesday, imploring other “victims” to come forward. The group went to the Carons’ home and demanded the family release Gonzalez in January after the housekeeper reported “the abusive environment” to a human trafficking hotline.
The Caron family denies the abuse claims, and Montgomery law enforcement officials say the case didn’t meet the criminal standard for human trafficking because Gonzalez could have left on her own accord.
“As far as I know, she was paid,” James Caron told The Washington Examiner on Tuesday. “The lady was disgruntled. My wife usually took care of [the payments]. I thought everything was squared away.”
He refused further comment on the civil charges, saying he had not seen the lawsuit.
Investigators found that Gonzalez’s room was not locked, and she had at least some telephone access, said Montgomery County police spokesman Lucille Baur.
Gonzalez’s suit also says theCarons threatened to have her and other Hispanic workers who complained about money arrested. She is seeking $14,000 in unpaid wages and at least $42,000 in damages.
Gonzalez responded to an online ad seeking a Spanish-speaking housekeeper for $350 per week, the court records show, before ultimately losing her D.C. residence and having her belongings placed in storage in her absence. The county requires that employers give household workers a contract signed by both parties.
