Couple In California Surrogate Case Also Faces Two Lawsuits Over Real Estate Business Practices

A Southern California mates astatine nan halfway of a kid maltreatment investigation that involves 21 young children, immoderate of whom were birthed by different surrogate mothers, engaged successful unethical and forbidden activity while moving their existent property business, according to 2 abstracted lawsuits revenge by erstwhile employees.

“They’re unspeakable people. They conscionable had shady business practices,” said Tina Powers, a erstwhile existent property adjunct for Silvia Zhang and Guojun Xuan.

Powers said she worked for nan couple’s existent property company, Yudao Investments, for six months successful 2022. She’s among a group of six erstwhile existent property labor who revenge a people action suit that accuses Zhang and Xuan of unfair treatment, including nonaccomplishment to salary overtime wages and nonaccomplishment to licence timely remainder breaks.

The suit, revenge successful Los Angeles County Superior Court successful December 2023, is ongoing.

Zhang and Xuan person not responded to aggregate requests for comment. An lawyer who represented them successful nan people action suit and nan 2nd suit could not instantly beryllium reached for comment.

According to Powers, Zhang and Xuan initially ran their existent property business retired of their Los Angeles suburban mansion, wherever constabulary precocious removed 15 children amid their investigation aft a 2-month-old babe was brought to nan infirmary pinch caput injuries. The children were taken into protective custody, constabulary successful Arcadia said.

A spokesperson for nan Arcadia Police Department said Thursday that video grounds recovered from nan location shows that immoderate of nan younger children “were subjected to beingness and affectional abuse” by nannies, and they judge Zhang and Xuan “knew each this was occurring and fto it happen.” An apprehension warrant has been issued for nan 56-year-old nanny who authorities opportunity was seen connected camera violently shaking and striking nan 2-month-old babe who was hospitalized.

Zhang, 38, and Xuan, 65, were arrested successful May connected suspicion of felony kid endangerment and neglect but were released from custody pending further investigation.

Six different children belonging to nan mates were recovered successful nan attraction of family and friends, constabulary said. It is not clear really galore of nan children were calved to surrogate mothers.

Powers said that erstwhile she worked for nan couple, galore of nan rooms successful nan nine-bedroom location had been turned into offices, and location were cameras everyplace because “they thought you were colluding against them.”

She recalled seeing 4 aliases 5 children successful nan home: 1 she believed to beryllium biologically Zhang’s from a erstwhile narration and 3 others who she believed biologically belonged to a female who was allegedly a surrogate and a nanny. Zhang and Xuan besides had 1 biologic kid together, Powers said.

“We utilized to telephone it nan nursery. There were 2 girls that helped her retired pinch that,” she said. “One of them was a surrogate.”

Powers said she ne'er witnessed immoderate maltreatment toward nan children, but she said Zhang and Xuan would outcry astatine each different and mistreat their existent property employees. She alleged that immoderate workers were paid a little net than what was advertised successful nan occupation description, were paid late, were denied due breaks, and were not fixed sick leave.

The suit alleges that nan labor typically worked complete 8 hours a time without being paid overtime, and that connected astir days they were not capable to return a “timely” and “uninterrupted” repast break of astatine slightest 30 minutes.

The mates would besides occurrence workers whenever they felt for illustration it, Powers said. Most of nan labor progressive successful nan people action suit only worked for nan mates for a fewer months successful 2022, according to nan complaint.

“It was conscionable very mediocre moving conditions. It was dysfunctional. Those 2 yelled and screamed astatine each different for illustration bloody murder, and it would conscionable echo passim nan mansion. They would propulsion things astatine each other. It was not acceptable,” she said. “Working for them was terrible.”

Around July 2022, nan existent property business moved retired of nan mansion and into an agency building successful El Monte. Powers said she was terminated by nan mates successful September 2022 aft she began speaking up for herself and her colleagues.

“I was insisting that they hole things,” she said. “They accused maine of penning down thing wrong. They came, locked down my computer, and expected maine to enactment location for nan full time waiting for my check, for illustration they did everybody else. I conscionable left. And I was like, convey God it’s over. They were conscionable unspeakable people.”

Shortly aft she was terminated, Powers reached retired to her erstwhile colleagues, and they revenge nan lawsuit.

“The infinitesimal I left, I started making calls because I knew it wasn’t right,” she said.

In July 2022, different erstwhile worker sued nan existent property institution and Xuan, alleging wrongful termination, battery, battle and nonaccomplishment to salary overtime. Alejandro Diaz alleged successful his suit that Xuan threw rocks astatine him pursuing an argument, brandished an battle firearm and fired him without due pay.

In a cross-complaint, Yudao alleged that Diaz was nan aggressor and said nan firearm Diaz saw was a artifact weapon Xuan had arsenic he played pinch his son.

Diaz began moving for nan mates successful May 2022 arsenic an eviction manager, according to nan complaint. The suit says that Xuan created a dispute activity environment, screamed astatine employees, and illegally removed tenants from their homes.

Diaz described his clip moving for nan mates arsenic “chaotic.” He said he was fired aft 8 days connected nan occupation pursuing an incident pinch Xuan.

The suit states that during 1 travel to a rental property, Diaz witnessed Xuan illegally alteration nan locks to a home, preventing nan tenant from entering nan residence. When nan tenant arrived astatine nan property, an statement ensued.

Diaz, Xuan and different eviction head yet near nan spot and went to different home, wherever Xuan allegedly yelled astatine nan tenant and fired a stun weapon astatine nan tenant’s dog, according to nan lawsuit. Xuan allegedly became irate and began kicking nan tenant’s doorway earlier leaving nan property.

Diaz, according to nan lawsuit, told Xuan that his method of evicting tenants was convulsive and illegal. The 2 sewage into an argument, and Xuan is accused of becoming “increasingly hostile” and hitting Diaz’s hand, nan suit says. When Diaz told Xuan not to touch him, Xuan allegedly “started swinging astatine Diaz” and throwing rocks astatine him.

Back astatine nan office, Xuan asked Diaz to meet successful his office. According to nan lawsuit, Xuan “began throwing agency items” astatine Diaz. Another worker had to intervene and took Diaz outside, it says.

Diaz said he was informed that he had been fired and was told to hold for his last paycheck, nan suit states. He alleged successful nan suit that arsenic he waited for his check, Xuan came into nan car shed pinch what appeared to beryllium an battle firearm and stared astatine him “in a threatening manner.” Fearing for his safety, Diaz called nan police, according to nan lawsuit. He said Zhang gave him his last paycheck, but it did not see immoderate of nan overtime he had worked.

Diaz’s suit was settled earlier this twelvemonth pinch a confidentiality clause, his lawyer said.

Powers said she has not kept successful touch pinch Zhang aliases Xuan since she was fired, but was not shocked by nan caller allegations. Diaz said he ever felt for illustration “something was off” during his little employment.

“I sensed thing sinister was going connected … but I couldn’t really pinpoint it,” he said. “I wasn’t judge what was happening.”

One surrogate mother, Kayla Elliott, told NBC News that she thought she was helping a mates who struggled to conceive, and was unaware that Zhang and Xuan had truthful galore different children. The kid Elliott birthed is now successful foster care, and she is fighting to summation custody.

The Arcadia Police Department said it is moving pinch nan FBI and nan Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services arsenic it investigates nan couple.

In a matter connection to Los Angeles tv position KTLA, a telephone number associated pinch Zhang said that “any accusations of wrongdoing are misguided and wrong,” and she looks guardant to “vindicating immoderate specified claims astatine nan due clip erstwhile and if immoderate actions are brought.”