Nanny Sues Imus Over Ranch Wrangle (Toy gun, tiny knife triggered woman's firing by radio star)

The Smoking Gun ^ | NOVEMBER 30

[new cruelty]

NOVEMBER 30--A New York woman who briefly worked as a nanny for Don Imus has sued the radio host for wrongful termination, claiming she was canned for bringing a harmless cap gun and pocketknife with her during a trip last Thanksgiving to the family's sprawling New Mexico ranch.

Nichole Mallette, 24, also claimed in her New York State Supreme Court lawsuit, a copy of which you'll find below, that she was defamed when Imus later announced on his program that he had been forced to "disarm" his nanny, whom he labeled as dangerous and a "terrorist." In her complaint, filed yesterday by the lawyer who represented the woman who recently accused Bill O'Reilly of various improprieties, Mallette claimed that she brought the cap gun with her so that she and Imus's five-year-old son could "play cowboys" at the 4000-acre ranch.

As for the pocketknife, Mallette noted that the 1-1/2-inch item was never unsheathed from a leather harness affixed to her belt. In her lawsuit, Mallette alleged that she endured "frenzied questioning" by Imus and his wife Deirdre, who woke her at 1 AM to grill her about the pocketknife and the cap gun, which Mallette said she did not use nor show to Imus's son. After Deirdre Imus told her, "Pack your things, you're terminated," Mallette was escorted off the property at 4:15 AM by a ranch employee and the radio host.

Mallette, a Brooklyn resident, was hired by Imus last October 23 and cared for the star's son at homes in Manhattan and Connecticut, as well as the New Mexico property (according to its mission statement, the "sole purpose" of the so-called Imus Ranch is "to provide the experience of the great American cowboy" to seriously ill boys and girls and children who have lost siblings to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Mallette noted that during two separate stays at the ranch, which features a 14,000-square-foot adobe hacienda, "neither sick children nor children who had lost brothers and sisters to SIDS were present," just Imus, his family, and ranch employees.

Along with Imus and his wife, Mallete named as defendants the radio syndicator Westwood One and NBC, which simulcasts Imus's show on its MSNBC cable network.

[ppaul]

Imus is an idiot.

Maybe.
But judging by his tax return (apparently lots of willing people give him multiple $millions every year) he's no dummy.

[johnnyb_61820]

It doesn't matter. He should be able to fire his nanny for no reason whatsoever, and badmouth her on the radio (as long as he doesn't say her name).

The part I have issue with is the ranch and its purpose. Sounds like an IRS scam to me.

[johnnyb_61820]

My son goes to a year-round special needs school that teaches 40 kids, and their annual budget is only $1 million. Why on earth to people give to things like this rather than real needs?

If anyone is interested the school is The Little Light House, and it is a completely tuition-free private preschool for special needs kids, which takes no government money nor United Way money.

[eternity]

He really hooked up to the Kerry side when he called the Swift Boat Vet's " a bunch of lying alcoholic Vietnam Vets."
What an a**hole.

[ppaul]

Deidre's Passion?

Hawking her private-labeled brand of pricey industrial cleaning products to institutions willing to sign hefty contracts for the stuff (When they could probably buy the same junk elsewhere for less? Why?).

Deirdre Imus is the mother of Wyatt Imus and the wife of Don Imus. She is a graduate of Villanova University with a B.A. in International Relations. She ran track at Villanova and has since then completed several triathlons and has run the New York City Marathon twice, most recently in the time of 3 hours 31 minutes.

She is the founder of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology located at Hackensack University Medical Center, currently the sixth largest hospital in the country. Her center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission is to identify, control, and ultimately prevent environmental factors that cause adult, and especially, pediatric cancer.

Under the guidance of Deirdre's center, Hackensack instituted a program called "Greening the Cleaning®," which revamped the hospital’s massive maintenance operation by eliminating all cleaning agents and chemical substances whose components include toxic materials and replaced them with environmentally preferable ones.

For its efforts The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology and Hackensack University Medical Center were awarded The Phillip M. Scanlan Environmental Award from Quality New Jersey (QNJ). The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology and Hackensack University Medical Center were also recognized in 2001 by the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) with the Environmental Award for Excellence.

Deirdre is also a founder and co-director with her husband Don Imus of The Imus Ranch, an authentic 4,000 acre working cattle ranch in the rolling hills of Northern New Mexico. The ranch provides the experience of the great American cowboy to children suffering from cancer, various blood diseases and the siblings of children who have been the victim of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

The Imus Ranch is totally and completely organic. It serves a strict vegetarian diet that can be accurately described as vegan in its food selection: no meat, no fish, no poultry, and no dairy. Further, all ranch cleaning agents are non-toxic, biodegradable, naturally derived substances containing no known or suspected carcinogens, mutagens or teratogens.

In addition, no pesticides or synthetic chemicals of any kind are used in gardening, farming or infrastructure and plant maintenance.

Deirdre was recently featured as a "Woman of Substance and Style" in Organic Style Magazine. The ranch was recently the cover feature in Architectural Digest and Deirdre takes particular pride in having designed and decorated a total of seventeen buildings, including an authentic circa 1880’s western town and a fourteen thousand square foot hacienda.

What is Don's passion?

WARNING: Graphic Link -
http://www.sohoweeklynews.com/Book/ShowBiz/ms_all-bare_imus_girl_kiss.htm

[ppaul]

It's all For the Childurn.

[kabar]

Architectural Digest did a big article on the ranch. Diedre has made it into a show place. Nothing but the best will do. Pretty good scam. Have the public subsidize the place and use some kids with cancer as the lure. Imus is talking about spending more time there and using it as the base for his show. Typical nouveau-riche.

[CedarDave]

Definitely a trophy wife.

[ClintonBeGone]

I wonder if he'll get David Boise to represent him (again).

[ClintonBeGone]

Okay, now you've definitely crossed the line. Longstanding (if unwritten) FR policy specifically requires you to post PICTURES.

Hmmm "6 feet tall, thin as a rail, and didn't seem to own any bras (which would be sized a perky yet compact B-cup)." I am sure a picture of Anne Coulter would do just fine since this girl sounds like her twin.

[leadpenny]

I feel sorry for those who don't have the ability to see the genius of the I-Man.

Oh well, their loss!

[wtc911]

Based on everything I've heard she's a flaming liberal, borderline psycho....

I've had the dubious pleasure of spending part of an evening with her at the home of a mutual friend in Westport. I was a guest (and looking for funding for a project) so I was polite, but my gosh, what an insipid, self righteous, head up her ass snob. And, no, I did not find any $$ at that gathering so all in all it was a frustrating and wasted evening.

[ClintonBeGone]

Here is Imus' IRA 990

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/newimus1.html

[ppaul]

From the link you supplied:

The group reported contributions totaling $3.2 million during the year and finished the period with $19.3 million in assets. The charity's largest donors, records show, have been Merrill Lynch CEO David Komansky ($1.43 million), Executive Jet CEO Richard Santulli ($1 million), and billionaire philanthropist Mary Anselmo ($500,000). Since the charity's inception, Imus and his wife have donated $261,680.

Not a bad return on investment, eh?
Imus is no dummy.

[meema]

must read later

[ppaul]

Since the charity's inception, Imus and his wife have donated $261,680.

Wow!
That's all?
Little bit o' money goes a long way in New Mexico, I guess.

[ClintonBeGone]

No, not a bad deal at all. And he flys Netjet and talks them up all the time. Even today, comparing how good they are versus the one that the NBC sports guy lost his son on yesterday. His whole show is a product placement infomerical. I must disclose though, I watch it every morning and think the show rocks.

[Ditto]

Mallette, a Brooklyn resident, was hired by Imus last October 23 and cared for the star's son at homes in Manhattan and Connecticut, as well as the New Mexico property...

Just a regular cowpoke and his missus who loves to spend quality time with his kid out on the ranch.

I'm so damn sick of these celibrity phonies who blab about their kids all the time but have never even changed a diaper.

[KoRn]

From how he speaks of her, and by the brief times she has been on his show, and now from what you are saying w can tell she's probably one of the least desirable people to be around.

Both she and Imus are a couple of elitist quacks. All of us that don't subscribe to her horrid lifestyles and ideas are a bunch of idiotic 'common people'.

PS: I'M going to go enjoy my medium rare steak now Mrs. Imus. When I'm done, I'm going to clean my kitchen with standard cleaning products found at the grocery store....while my children are in the room.

[eno_]

I am sure a picture of Anne Coulter would do just fine since this girl sounds like her twin

Dark hair worn fairly short, fuller lips. And whatdayathinkI'msuicidal? The only pics are with my daughter, and before I had a digital camera. I really do not need the spousal unit asking why I'm scanning pics of THAT nanny.