Couple in California surrogate case additionally faces two lawsuits over actual property enterprise practices

A Southern California couple on the middle of a kid abuse investigation that entails 21 younger youngsters, a few of whom have been birthed by totally different surrogate moms, engaged in unethical and criminal activity whereas operating their actual property enterprise, in line with two separate lawsuits filed by former workers.

“They’re horrible individuals. They only had shady enterprise practices,” mentioned Tina Powers, a former actual property assistant for Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan.

Powers mentioned she labored for the couple’s actual property firm, Yudao Investments, for six months in 2022. She’s amongst a bunch of six former actual property workers who filed a category motion lawsuit that accuses Zhang and Xuan of unfair remedy, together with failure to pay additional time wages and failure to allow well timed relaxation breaks.

The go well with, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Courtroom in December 2023, is ongoing.

Zhang and Xuan haven’t responded to a number of requests for remark. An legal professional who represented them within the class motion go well with and the second lawsuit couldn’t instantly be reached for remark.

In accordance with Powers, Zhang and Xuan initially ran their actual property enterprise out of their Los Angeles suburban mansion, the place police just lately eliminated 15 youngsters amid their investigation after a 2-month-old child was delivered to the hospital with head accidents. The kids have been taken into protecting custody, police in Arcadia mentioned.

A spokesman for the Arcadia Police Division mentioned Thursday that video proof recovered from the house reveals that a few of the youthful youngsters “have been subjected to bodily and emotional abuse” by nannies, they usually imagine Zhang and Xuan “knew all this was occurring and let it occur.” An arrest warrant has been issued for the 56-year-old nanny who authorities say was seen on digital camera violently shaking and hanging the 2-month-old child who was hospitalized.

Zhang, 38, and Xuan, 65, have been arrested in Might on suspicion of felony baby endangerment and neglect however have been launched from custody pending additional investigation.

Six different youngsters belonging to the couple have been discovered within the care of household and mates, police mentioned. It isn’t clear how most of the youngsters have been born to surrogate moms.

Powers mentioned that when she labored for the couple, most of the rooms within the nine-bedroom house had been changed into places of work, and there have been cameras in every single place as a result of “they thought you have been conspiring towards them.”

She recalled seeing 4 or 5 youngsters within the house: one she believed to be biologically Zhang’s from a earlier relationship and three others who she believed biologically belonged to a lady who was allegedly a surrogate and a nanny. Zhang and Xuan additionally had one organic baby collectively, Powers mentioned.

“We used to name it the nursery. There have been two women that helped her out with that,” she mentioned. “One in every of them was a surrogate.”

Powers mentioned she by no means witnessed any abuse towards the youngsters, however she mentioned Zhang and Xuan would yell at one another and mistreat their actual property workers. She alleged that some staff have been paid a decrease wage than what was marketed within the job description, have been paid late, have been denied correct breaks, and weren’t given sick go away.

The lawsuit alleges that the workers sometimes labored over eight hours a day with out being paid additional time, and that on most days they weren’t in a position to take a “well timed” and “uninterrupted” meal break of no less than half-hour.

The couple would additionally hearth staff at any time when they felt prefer it, Powers mentioned. A lot of the workers concerned within the class motion lawsuit solely labored for the couple for a couple of months in 2022, in line with the grievance.

“It was simply very poor working situations. It was dysfunctional. These two yelled and screamed at one another like bloody homicide, and it could simply echo all through the mansion. They might throw issues at one another. It was not acceptable,” she mentioned. “Working for them was horrible.”

Round July 2022, the actual property enterprise moved out of the mansion and into an workplace constructing in El Monte. Powers mentioned she was terminated by the couple in September 2022 after she started talking up for herself and her colleagues.

“I used to be insisting that they sort things,” she mentioned. “They accused me of writing down one thing incorrect. They got here, locked down my pc, and anticipated me to remain there for the entire day ready for my examine, like they did all people else. I simply left. And I used to be like, thank God it’s over. They have been simply horrible individuals.”

Shortly after she was terminated, Powers reached out to her former colleagues, they usually filed the lawsuit.

“The minute I left, I began making calls as a result of I knew it wasn’t proper,” she mentioned.

In July 2022, one other former worker sued the actual property firm and Xuan, alleging wrongful termination, battery, assault and failure to pay additional time. Alejandro Diaz alleged in his lawsuit that Xuan threw rocks at him following an argument, brandished an assault rifle and fired him with out correct pay.

In a cross-complaint, Yudao alleged that Diaz was the aggressor and mentioned the firearm Diaz noticed was a toy gun Xuan had as he performed together with his son.

Diaz started working for the couple in Might 2022 as an eviction supervisor, in line with the grievance. The lawsuit says that Xuan created a hostile work setting, screamed at workers, and illegally eliminated tenants from their houses.

Diaz described his time working for the couple as “chaotic.” He mentioned he was fired after eight days on the job following an incident with Xuan.

The go well with states that in one journey to a rental property, Diaz witnessed Xuan illegally change the locks to a house, stopping the tenant from coming into the residence. When the tenant arrived on the property, an argument ensued.

Diaz, Xuan and one other eviction supervisor finally left the property and went to a different house, the place Xuan allegedly yelled on the tenant and fired a stun gun on the tenant’s canine, in line with the lawsuit. Xuan allegedly grew to become irate and commenced kicking the tenant’s door earlier than leaving the property.

Diaz, in line with the lawsuit, informed Xuan that his technique of evicting tenants was violent and unlawful. The 2 acquired into an argument, and Xuan is accused of turning into “more and more hostile” and hitting Diaz’s hand, the lawsuit says. When Diaz informed Xuan to not contact him, Xuan allegedly “began swinging at Diaz” and throwing rocks at him.

Again on the workplace, Xuan requested Diaz to satisfy in his workplace. In accordance with the lawsuit, Xuan “started throwing workplace gadgets” at Diaz. One other worker needed to intervene and took Diaz outdoors, it says.

Diaz mentioned he was knowledgeable that he had been fired and was informed to attend for his closing paycheck, the go well with states. He alleged within the lawsuit that as he waited for his examine, Xuan got here into the storage with what gave the impression to be an assault rifle and stared at him “in a threatening method.” Fearing for his security, Diaz referred to as the police, in line with the lawsuit. He mentioned Zhang gave him his closing paycheck, nevertheless it didn’t embrace any of the additional time he had labored.

Diaz’s lawsuit was settled earlier this 12 months with a confidentiality clause, his legal professional mentioned.

Powers mentioned she has not saved in contact with Zhang or Xuan since she was fired, however was not shocked by the latest allegations. Diaz mentioned he all the time felt like “one thing was off” throughout his transient employment.

“I sensed one thing sinister was occurring … however I couldn’t actually pinpoint it,” he mentioned. “I wasn’t certain what was occurring.”

One surrogate mom, Kayla Elliott, informed NBC Information that she thought she was serving to a pair who struggled to conceive, and was unaware that Zhang and Xuan had so many different youngsters. The kid Elliott birthed is now in foster care, and she or he is preventing to achieve custody.

The Arcadia Police Division mentioned it’s working with the FBI and the Los Angeles County Division of Youngsters and Household Companies because it investigates the couple.

In a textual content message to Los Angeles tv station KTLA, a telephone quantity related to Zhang mentioned that “any accusations of wrongdoing are misguided and incorrect,” and she or he appears ahead to “vindicating any such claims on the applicable time when and if any actions are introduced.”