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09/03/2004:

"Maid who won suit against Sony executive decries slavery"

LOS ANGELES - A Filipino woman who won $825,000 in a lawsuit claiming a Hollywood executive and his wife enslaved her said the case should be a warning to others.

Nena Ruiz, 60, is a former schoolteacher from the Philippines who worked as a domestic servant for James Jackson and his wife, Elizabeth.

Jackson is vice president of legal affairs for Sony Pictures Entertainment.

In a lawsuit filed last year, Ruiz claimed the Jacksons took away her passport and paid her $300 for a year's work at the couple's Culver City condominium. She said Elizabeth Jackson also slapped her and pulled her hair repeatedly.

The couple have denied the allegations, and their lawyer said they are considering appealing.

Ruiz said she often worked 18 hours a day and was forced to do strange household chores such as heating chicken nuggets and cutting up bananas or pears for the couple's two dogs while she was fed leftovers and slept in a dog bed.

Full Article: sacbee.com