No settlement between Diane Stretton and the Bracamonte family was ever publicly reported. Stretton, the live-in nanny dubbed the “Nightmare Nanny” after she refused to leave her employers’ Upland, California home in the summer of 2014, vacated the property by the end of July that year without any known formal legal judgment or monetary agreement between the parties.1CBS News. Nightmare Nanny Finally Moves Out of Couple’s California Home
How the Standoff Ended Without a Deal
In late June 2014, Stretton contacted the Bracamontes’ attorney to discuss terms of a possible departure. Multiple news outlets confirmed that no formal agreement resulted from those talks.1CBS News. Nightmare Nanny Finally Moves Out of Couple’s California Home2CNN. California Nanny Squatter
Stretton eventually left the property by the end of July 2014, leaving some personal items behind and saying she did not expect to return for them. As of July 31, 2014, there were “no pending lawsuits from either party.”1CBS News. Nightmare Nanny Finally Moves Out of Couple’s California Home The standoff ended the way it began: informally, with no court order and no settlement paperwork.
Why the Family Couldn’t Simply Remove Her
Ralph and Marcella Bracamonte hired Stretton, then 64, in March 2014 through a Craigslist ad to help care for their three children in exchange for room and board.3ABC7. Upland Nanny Says She’ll Only Move on Her Terms After the family said they fired her on June 6, 2014, she refused to leave. Stretton later insisted she had quit.4ABC News. Live-In Nanny Who Wouldn’t Leave Feels Taken Advantage Of
When the Bracamontes called police, officers told them it was a civil matter. Because Stretton had established residency in the home, the family had to go through a formal eviction process.5CBS News. Nightmare Nanny Won’t Leave Home, Family Says The family’s first attempt to evict her failed when a judge ruled they had not served her with the proper legal paperwork.6Los Angeles Times. Nightmare Nanny Claims Family Mistreated Her
The family’s attorney, Marc Cohen, explained that “the only way to lawfully evict a person is that the sheriff does it.”7Daily Bulletin. Upland Family Prohibited From Removing Former Live-In Nanny’s Items Even removing her belongings without a court order was illegal under California law, and forcing her out could have exposed the family to a $1,000 fine.8Time. Nightmare Nanny Leaving On July 2, 2014, the Bracamontes posted a three-day notice on their front door. When the deadline passed, Cohen announced on July 7 that the family planned to file a formal eviction lawsuit.9Daily Bulletin. Former Upland Live-In Nanny Has Yet to Pick Up Her Belongings Stretton left before that lawsuit ran its course.
Threatened Lawsuits That Never Materialized
Stretton publicly threatened to sue the Bracamontes for wrongful termination and elder abuse. Neither lawsuit was ever formally filed.10ABC News. Family Stumped After Fired Live-In Nanny Won’t Leave11CBS News. Nightmare Nanny Slams Ex-Employers, Calls Them Con Artists
In interviews, she disputed the family’s account. She told KNX radio on June 30, 2014, “I wasn’t fired,” and accused the Bracamontes of “trying to exploit me.”12CBS News. Homeowner, Squatter Nanny Face Off for First Time on Dr. Phil Stretton said the original agreement called for 20 hours of work per week and required both sides to give 30 days’ notice before ending the arrangement.4ABC News. Live-In Nanny Who Wouldn’t Leave Feels Taken Advantage Of None of those claims became a court filing.
Stretton’s Litigation History
The absence of a settlement sits alongside a long record of lawsuits Stretton had filed elsewhere. She appeared on California’s Vexatious Litigant List, a registry of people found to repeatedly bring frivolous or harassing legal actions.2CNN. California Nanny Squatter The Los Angeles Times reported she was named on the list three times.6Los Angeles Times. Nightmare Nanny Claims Family Mistreated Her Court records showed she had been involved in at least six lawsuits in Riverside County since 2005, acting as plaintiff in four of them.13ABC News. Nanny Won’t Leave, Hiding in Car at Police Station
Most of those cases targeted her own family. She repeatedly sued her two sisters, Donna Tobey and Sharon Freeburn, over family property. Her father, John Richardson, had died in 2000 and his will specifically omitted her, naming only her two sisters as beneficiaries.13ABC News. Nanny Won’t Leave, Hiding in Car at Police Station In 2013, she sued her son Michael for property damage and personal injury.14ABC News. Nanny Won’t Leave, Disappeared When Stretton appeared on Dr. Phil on September 12, 2014, host Phil McGraw said she had filed 37 lawsuits over the years; his production team verified 22 of those filings.12CBS News. Homeowner, Squatter Nanny Face Off for First Time on Dr. Phil
For all the litigation she filed elsewhere, and for all the courtroom threats she made against the Bracamontes, no case between Stretton and the family ever reached a courtroom or a settlement table.