Gloria Allred: Octo-Mom May Be Violating California State Child Labor Laws
Attorney Gloria Allred believes Nadya Suleman may be violating a number of California state child labor laws by booking numerous jobs for her newborn octuplets.
At a press conference Monday, Allred announced that she and child advocacy group “A Minor Consideration” have filed a petition in Orange County Superior Court to protect the financial interests of the babies and to appoint a guardian over their estate.
“Rather than chose to provide her children with a normal life, their mother, Nadya Suleman, has chosen to commercially exploit them,” Allred said. “We believe that the babies are entitled to remuneration since most of the compensation appears to be use of their images.”
The goal, she added, is “to be sure that the babies receive their fair share of payments” and that their payments “be placed into separate accounts for them and preserved for them as required by law.”
The guardian can hire a professional agent for the babies — different from Suleman’s rep — even if Suleman will not benefit from opportunities herself.
Allred — who represented “Angels in Waiting,” the non-profit nursing agency that Suleman severed ties with this year for allegedly “spying” on her — also went on to detail the “number of California labor laws” they suspect Suleman, 33, of violating.
When filming or photographing children, a nurse and credentialed studio teacher must be present, Allred said.
By law, children — ages 15 days to six months — also can only be at the place of employment for two consecutive hours (between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. or between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.). Infants can’t work any more than 20 minutes each day.
Suleman may be “potentially endangering the health, welfare and safety of children,” Allred added.
A hearing date is set for June 22.
Said Allred, “This could be avoided if Nadya Suleman agrees with that appointing an independent guardian for estate of the octuplets to represent and protect their interests.”
