“Basic Instinct” Star Sharon Stone Accused of Harassment by Former Nanny
According to Sharon Stone's former nanny, looking after her three sons was a lot less stressful than dealing with their famous mother.
Erlinda T. Elemen filed a nine-page lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday claiming that the "Basic Instinct" star continually harassed her during her five years on the job, especially about her "stupid" Filipino accent. She also said that Stone ordered her not to speak in front of the children – Roan, 12, Laird, 7, and 6-year-old Quinn – so that they would not talk like her.
The suit also reveals that Stone, a Tibetan Buddhism convert, would not allow Elemen to read her Bible while in the actress' home, and alleges that the 53-year-old actress finally fired her in February 2011 when she discovered that Elemen had been paid overtime, which she labeled as "stealing" even though it was in accordance with state law.
Elemen's attorney, Solomon Gresen, said in the suit that although the nanny had "wonderful memories of the children," she was unable to deal with Stone's "increasingly hostile and abusive behavior." He added, "By her conduct, the actress made Elemen feel as if her ethnicity was offensive and would somehow adversely affect her children's upbringing.
Stone's publicist is fighting back, dismissing Elemen as just a disgruntled former employee who only wants to get money, 15 months later, after she failed to secure disability and worker's compensation payments. "Now, she is obviously looking for another opportunity to cash in," Paul Bloch wrote in a statement. "This is a frivolous lawsuit for absurd claims that are made-up and fabricated. Sharon Stone will be completely vindicated in court."
Stone is infamous for being outspoken, eccentric and oftentimes misguided. In 2005, she tried to solicit pledges to raise $1 million to get mosquito nets to the impoverished Tanzania, but was criticized by UNICEF for not doing the proper research. In the end, only $250,000 was raised, so UNICEF had to provide the remaining $750,000 – and then the mosquito nets turned up on the black market, and were transformed into wedding dresses.