| Saudi Prince Sued |
 A Saudi Arabian prince is being sued by a cook, who claims he was fired for complaining about working 13- to 14-hour shifts without overtime pay or any days off, at a Beverly Hills estate, court papers show.
Pedro Gomez sued Prince Saud Bin Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, his wife and daughter in Los Angeles Superior Court. The prince, also known as Prince Saud Al Faisal, has been foreign minister of Saudi Arabia since 1975, and is a son of the late Saudi king, Faisal bin Abdul Aziz. A representative for the prince and his family was not immediately available for comment on the suit, which was filed last Wednesday. Gomez worked for the prince from 1999 until March 30 of this year, when he was fired, his suit says. He alleges he prepared three meals for about 30 people a day, worked 13 to 14 hours a day and did not get overtime. Gomez also maintains he was denied meal breaks and rest periods, and that the prince failed to deduct payroll taxes, report withholdings or provide workers with W-2 forms. "As foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Saud is responsible ... for diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States,'' the lawsuit states. But the prince and his family members "exploit their employees by refusing to pay overtime wages and denying their employees time off, meal breaks and rest periods,'' the plaintiff alleges. Gomez is asking for compensatory and punitive damages, restitution and back pay. |
