Article from the Filipino Reporter.
A Filipina domestic worker who has a pending slavery and maltreatment lawsuit against her former employers, the current Lebanese ambassador to the United States and his wife, has asked the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (FALDEF) to assist in her pursuit of justice.
Lawyers for Araceli D. Montuya, 50, of Washington, D.C. filed the federal suit on May 4, 2010 at the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia against Ambassador Antoine Chedid and his wife Afife Nicole Chedid.
But nine months after the civil complaint was filed, Montuya is worried about its progress.
The lawyer for the Chedids, Mary Gately, categorically denied all the accusations and immediately filed a motion to dismiss the case.
Gately pointed out in court papers that her clients are entitled to diplomatic immunity from the suit under the Vienna Convention.
Meanwhile, FALDEF president J.T. Mallonga said he is now in touch with Montuya’s counsels — Aaron Uslan and Laurence F. Johnson — to see what FALDEF can do to help.