Teddi Mellencamp Overcomes Cancer Struggle to Confront Former Employee’s Allegations of Racism

Teddi Mellencamp has finally responded to the scathing allegations leveled against her by a former employee of El Salvador descent. 

In February, Julia Umana made serious allegations against a former star of the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”, claiming a hostile work environment. Umana, a former employee, accused the TV personality of showing racial bias by supposedly favoring her White staff over those of Hispanic descent.

Despite her ongoing cancer battle, Teddi Mellencamp did not back down when faced with the lawsuit. She vehemently denied the accusations and stood up against Umana’s demand for over $1 million in damages.

Court documents revealed that Mellencamp refuted all claims of misconduct made by Umana. She firmly stated her innocence, emphasizing that racial discrimination was not a practice she engaged in as an employer.

“[Julia’s] recovery, if any, must be reduced proportionately to the extent that any damages alleged by [Julia] is caused and contributed to by [Julia’s] own action,” Mellencamp’s rebuttal read in part.

Additionally, she claimed all her actions were based on “legitimate, non-discriminatory, non-retaliatory” reasons. The media personality, per the documents obtained by In Touch, stressed that her behavior was never extreme, outrageous, intentional, or reckless.

Mellencamp vehemently denied that Umana suffered severe emotional distress during her employment and implored the court to dismiss her complaint.

Mellencamp added that Umana did not deserve any financial compensation for her allegedly false claims and demanded that her request for damages be ignored. When her former employee filed her allegations in Los Angeles Superior Court, she accused the TV personality of several crimes.

The list included failure to pay overtime wages, failure to pay minimum wages, failure to provide rest and meal breaks, failure to reimburse business expenses and wrongful termination.

Umana’s attorney echoed similar sentiments, accusing Mellencamp of harassing her former employee because of her Hispanic origins.

The legal rep described Mellencamp’s alleged actions as a “blatant abuse of power” against “a 71-year-old immigrant from a significantly disadvantaged socio-economic background.”

The attorney argued that Mellencamp exploited Umana’s vulnerability to violate wage and hour laws and engage in “race-based discrimination and harassment.”

Umana’s legal rep argued that Mellencamp’s alleged actions created a “hostile work environment.” They claimed she mistreated her former employee because she feared zero retaliation, saying:

“Teddi leveraged her perceived status to manipulate and mistreat Ms. Umana, knowing she had limited means to fight back.”

Mellencamp’s working relationship with Umana, per the lawsuit, began in November 2021. She was hired as a household worker who primarily catered to the needs of the entertainer’s youngest child, Dove.

Umana claimed she was also responsible for cooking for Mellencamp’s then-husband, Edwin Arroyave. However, Umana noted that working for Mellencamp was challenging with her complaint alleging:

“Teddi also monitored Ms. Umana’s whereabouts via home security audio and video recordings to ensure she was at the Encino home or otherwise performing work. Teddi also frequently screamed at Ms. Umana: ‘WHEN I ASK FOR SOMETHING, I NEED IT DONE RIGHT AWAY.‘”

The Blast covered racist allegations against Mellencamp, reporting that Umana claimed she treated her White employees differently.

The El Salvador woman argued the entertainer spoke condescendingly to her compared to how she related to a white, blonde employee. Umana’s allegations continued with tales of frequently shortened paychecks, overworking, and stealing accusations.

She claimed Mellencamp racially profiled her non-white employees as thieves, consistently harassing them for missing items despite having surveillance cameras around the house that could prove their innocence.

When she wasn’t accusing Umana of being a thief or overworking her with little pay, the former employee alleged Mellencamp enjoyed mocking her Spanish origin despite knowing she was an immigrant from El Salvador.

Eventually, Umana could no longer stand the abuse and complained about the poor pay, resulting in her immediate termination.