Celebrity chef Curtis Stone fires back at his ex-nanny after she accused him of underpaying her
Curtis Stone is pictured with his wife, Lindsay Price
Celebrity chef Curtis Stone has vowed to fight his former nanny’s explosive accusations that she “feared for her life” when she confronted him about “poor working conditions,” court documents say.
Melissa Talley was hired in 2019 by the Australian chef, 47, and his wife Lindsay Price, 46, to care for their children Hudson, 11, and Emerson, eight, at their $11.5 million mansion in suburban Brentwood from Los Angeles.
Mrs Talley did not live with the family, but had to cook for the boys, read to them, take them to lessons and activities, bathe them and do small household chores – for an annual salary of US$65,000 (AU$94,000).
According to court documents filed in LA State Court last September, Ms. Talley claims she regularly worked more than the nine hours per day required by California law, but claims she was not paid overtime.
Ms Talley further claims she was ‘harassed’ and fired when she approached Stone with her concerns. She is suing him for wrongful termination and is seeking damages of more than $25,000.
Court documents filed by Stone’s lawyers in November, however, say he denies “every allegation” made by Ms Talley and has filed 15 defenses in an attempt to prove her allegations baseless.
It can also be revealed that court officials attempted to serve Stone with the subpoena three times before his wife accepted them on his behalf at their mansion.
The server once sat in a car outside the house honking but got no response.
Melissa Talley was hired in 2019 to care for Curtis Stone and Lindsay Price’s sons (pictured with their children)
Among the 15 defenses filed by Stone’s lawyers is an argument that ‘all decisions related to [Ms Talley’s] employment was a fair and proper exercise of management discretion.”
Stone also claims she failed to “limit the damage” or take steps to reduce her losses.
He claims that she waited too long to initiate legal action, that she suffered no injuries or damage during his employment and that he “acted reasonably and in good faith in response to requests” from Ms. Talley.
Ms Talley’s famous lawyer, Frank Kim, previously told Daily Mail Australia that in February 2020 Stone tried to force his client to sign a document and allegedly “harassed” her when she refused.
In her amended complaint, filed with the court in September, the former nanny alleges that Stone tried to hand Ms Talley a check for US$1000 (AU$1400) at the same meeting, but she did not sign the document and accept the money not.
Ms Talley claims she was then “summoned” to Stone’s office a few days later to meet him and another person, during which time her employment was reportedly terminated and she was told to sign another document.
She claims he didn’t explain what the document was for, or why she had to sign it.
“Mrs. Talley, feeling pressured and overwhelmed, left the office and sat down in the hallway to calm herself down and review the document away from Stone’s presence,” court documents say.
Curtis Stone is an ambassador for Australian supermarket chain Coles. He lives and works in California
However, Stone immediately followed Mrs. Talley and continued to pressure her to sign the document as he hovered over her.
“Fearing for her own safety, Ms. Talley eventually signed the document without reading it to stop Stone’s harassment.”
The former nanny claims she suffered constant “humiliation, emotional anguish, and mental and physical pain and anguish.”
She claims Stone’s misconduct was “intentional, malicious, oppressive, fraudulent.”
Mrs. Talley demands compensation for the overtime she has worked, with interest, plus damages including lost wages and earnings, and demands that Stone cover her legal costs.
The parties underwent arbitration on Wednesday, with the next case management conference scheduled for May 22.
Should the case go to trial, Ms Talley has demanded that her case be heard by a jury.
Stone – a household name in both Australia and the US – is worth an estimated $36 million. Along with the Brentwood estate, he also owns a $9 million ranch in Malibu.
He operates three upscale restaurants in LA, Maude, Gwen and Georgie, and is the ambassador for Australian budget supermarket Coles.