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High-profile Attorney Gloria Allred held her third press conference about the recent Meg Whitman controversy from her Los Angeles office this week. This time it was to let Nicky Diaz Santillan, the ex-housekeeper for Republican gubernatorial candidate and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, speak out and let the world know that she's not a puppet.
“Meg Whitman was wrong when she said somebody put a gun to my head. Nobody did. I spoke out because I want people to know who Meg Whitman really is and I am glad that I did. I want to be heard,”Santillan explained.
Reporters, however, remained wary and pressed Allred about the case's origins. Who brought the case to you? Are you being paid? Are you working with opponent Jerry Brown's campaign?
Allred said her office would not disclose who brought the case to her office, but did say it was referred by another attorney. Allred would also not disclose if or what she is being paid, but would if given permission by Santillan. And as she said before, she is not working in cahoots with Brown. "Anybody that knows me knows that nobody tells me what to do. My duty is to my client," she said.
Allred is representing Santillan over labor issues because Whitman failed to pay Santillan for hours worked, but she added that the candidate should have at least referred the housekeeper to immigration attorney. It was alleged that Whitman and her husband knew that Santillan was undocumented for at least six years, but didn't fire her until she asked for help on her immigration status in 2009. Instead she was let go. Whitman said she didn't know until that moment, despite social security documents that her husband apparently handled in 2003.
In response, Whitman's campaign went after Allred.
"It's time for Gloria Allred to pack-up this circus and leave town, because there are serious challenges facing California and voters deserve to hear solutions, not smears," said Whitman spokesperson Andrea Jones Rivera. "After nearly a week of press conferences, Gloria Allred still refuses to disclose who is paying her fee and who has helped her orchestrate this stunt. A Hill Research poll conducted this week shows that 68% of Californians view Gloria Allred unfavorably, and that despite the Brown campaign's best efforts to capitalize on this circus, this race remains neck-and-neck."
