Family Baffled By Fired Live-in Nanny Ordeal

real-life nanny nightmare that's got parents everywhere worried the couple you're about to meet thought they'd found the perfect person to take care of their children until they say she stopped working and started squatting now the family that hired her can't get rid of her why won't she leave ABC's Ryan Owens went inside in search of answers how you like that mom for this California family even the most routine of family activities like the afternoon snack anything but just look what happens when mom goes for the fridge I do it tight so she can't even take her hands in there and try to pull things out yes that's a bike lock on the refrigerator put there to keep the nanny away I hired a nanny and she refuses to leave I am completely on my wit's end I've been crying for nearly a month the bra c'mon take family has been trying to lock out their live-in nanny from a lot more than that fridge this is America land of the free and I don't have I'm not free in my home I'm a prisoner in my home they want her evicted from their suburban home in upland about an hour east of Los Angeles after they say she quit working this is your house we're sitting in your living room did you have any idea was so hard to kick somebody out of your house no because I've seen it happen so many times people say get out so this corner of your house is basically off-limits to you guys right now but they have a problem now meet 64 year-old Dianne Stratton the family says they fired the live-in nanny after they claimed she quit working around the house complained of health problems and spent nearly all day locked behind this door and if I want to see this room you won't let me inside we can't let you inside this is now by court by law this is her domain even though it's in your house even though it's in our house we can't go in there we can't open the door we're off limits to a section of our home house struttin wasn't in the bedroom when we visited and wouldn't return our calls but watch what happened when television station KCBS was rolling as the father served her with court papers on Wednesday night why would you be we've asked you to leave why won't you leave we have that clip of her not talking to the reporter when you guys ask her to leave what does she say to you she smiles and just the door at me really really The Nanny moved in back in March after responding to this Craigslist ad seeking a nanny in exchange for free room and board I've hired nannies this way before and people always ask me to do you a background check yes I did I did a background check I've called references and she says everything checked out and at first the arrangement worked the three kids love their nanny four year old Ralphie was especially close to her he loved her like Grandma like a grandma and I would tell all you have competition but soon the family says their nanny became less Mary Poppins as I expected practically perfect in every way less mrs. Doubtfire look at that face you remind me of Stuart little one of the most honorable creatures in all of literature and more nanny nightmare but it turns out she does have rights and this family has a mountain of legal paperwork to prove it there is no timeline it could be three months it could be six months she could end up filing bankruptcy and they could start all over in court Diane Stratton has asserted she's more than live-in help she's a tenant in the family home and should be afforded all the legal protection that comes with it she got a judge to agree the facts of this scenario are completely surprising but the having to abide by the law and going through the formal eviction process is not surprising because you know there's a general idea here that we don't want people taking matters into their own hands the family says she's little more than a squatter one who apparently really likes to sue 16 17 18 18 lawsuits whether she's a plaintiff or not Diane Stratton's name is listed on dozens of civil lawsuits across Southern California why don't you just change the locks because you know - in legal lockout and we can get sued for $60,000 or maybe even taken our house away from us and yeah it becomes a huge legal battle you need to make sure that she has her day in court however ridiculous it may be and that then she's evicted properly are you scared of her I went say I'm afraid of her but I am fearful of when I'm not here I'm fearful of what I have to go to work I have to leave my family in the morning I had to leave my children in the morning she towers over my wife you feel so helpless you feel victimized do you think she's just looking for a free place to live oh yeah I think that she actually spends her day trying to ruin people's lives and I miss misery loves company perhaps but this evening we found the bracamontes three kids playing at home seemingly unaware of the media circus swirling around their awkward living situation they may have to deal with it for a while the eviction process could take weeks maybe months where's our safety our justice in our own home until then the bike lock stays on the fridge I'm not gonna let her eat my food I'm Ryan Owens for Nightline in Upland California

Channel: ABC News

Views: 2,741,922

Rating: 4.7829914 out of 5

Keywords: Live-In (TV Program), Nanny (Profession), Nanny, Fired, Live-In, Eviction, Evict, Ryan Owens, Nightline, ABC, ABCNews, News, US

Id: nSBTTmahTVE

Length: 5min 25sec (325 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 27 2014