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Pan's Labyrinth Producer is an Abuser?

200801pans.jpgThe producer of Pan's Labyrinth, the Oscar-winning film that partially delves into the world of abuse, may in fact have done some abusing of her own. A lawsuit was filed in Manhattan federal court yesterday against Frida Torresblanco. Her nanny, Angelica Hernandez, claims she was treated like a virtual slave.

Hernandez (who was hired in February 2007) worked up to 150 hours a week for seven months in the producer's Tribeca apartment and brought home less than $12,000. Once the Oscars came rolling in, the nanny's duties were practically 24/7 and included maid-type services as well.

Meanwhile, two white European nannies also on hand were paid more for doing less, and were reportedly treated better. Which, if true, is a little odd since Torresblanco herself is hispanic, in fact, The Hollywood Reporter named her one of the 25 most powerful Hispanic women in entertainment after the success of Pan's Labyrinth.

Torresblanco allegedly physically abused Hernandez after she attended a workshop sponsored by Domestic Workers United, an advocacy group pushing for a state law that would guarantee domestic workers overtime, sick days and other labor protections. She was then fired in September during "a violent outburst."

According to the lawyer of Torresblanco and her husband Marc Weiss, "they feel as though they are being victimized by what appears to be a fabrication."

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Comments [rss]

  • ANGRYGOD11

    I don't know if any if this is true. However, Latinos can be racist. Hispanics, like Americans, can be from different races and treat other Latinos like dirt.

  • Muscley Armed Paper Boy

    mmmm...I wonder if this is the same "producer." Does she treat her interns like slaves as well?

    http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/cwg/549187089.html

  • King Kong

    I call BS. I know Frida and this sounds ridiculous.

  • mocanlagunas

    If she had "european" help earning more for doing less as this says (so it MUST be true), then it's a race issue. Unfortunately in our countries there is still a huge race problem... stupid, yes, but true...

  • str1cken

    It's not a race issue. It never has been. It has always, always, always been about class. Race was a way to easily segregate a group of people in to a lower class, but the root of the problem is and always has been class and income disparity.

    *sigh*

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