Sentenced in first instance by the Regional Labor Court of Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo, Chinese medicine influencer Peter Liu, who has more than 3 million followers on YouTube and almost a million on Instagram, kept a woman in his home for 30 years who lived in a situation similar to slavery. Co-opted to Pernambuco, she worked all day and received no salary: her small savings came from leftovers from family purchases.
According to reports from the process, the woman, now 59 years old, had an exhausting work routine, which reached around 15 hours a day.
The complaint says she started working at 7 a.m. and didn’t stop until 10 p.m., when she was allowed to eat. When the Chinese couple’s son Davi went to college, he would wake his wife up at dawn so she could make him sandwiches or another snack.
I slept on the office stretcher
Sometimes, according to the lawsuit, the woman had to sleep on a stretcher in the Chinese medicine practice that operated in the family home. At other times, his bed was set up in a materials warehouse.
A report from Peter’s daughter, who broke up with her father and now shares a house with his wife, points out that the servant was bitten by a venomous animal in the family home, but did not receive medical treatment.
In addition to household chores, she learns the basic concepts of oriental therapies and has to prepare patients for the clinic, where she also works as a secretary.
Additionally, during those 30 years, the only money Maria received was the change she received from purchases she made for the Lius.
Influencer Holds His Ex-Wife Responsible
Asked by Metropolises over the phone, Peter Liu said the woman was an employee of his ex-wife. He said he had no contact with his former employee for more than 20 years. However, photos attached to the process show Peter, his daughter, his son-in-law and the victim in an ice cream parlor in São José do Rio Preto, inside São Paulo, in August 2018.
Peter, his children Davi and Anni, and their mother Jane, were convicted at first instance of the crime of reducing someone to a condition analogous to slavery.
Peter, Davi and Jane’s defense appeals, claiming there was no employment relationship. Anni, with whom the former employee currently lives, is trying to be excluded from the process on the grounds that, after understanding the victim’s condition, she took steps to help her, such as paying for therapy sessions and encouraging her to socialize with other people.
The family was ordered to pay R$400,000 to the former employee. The value is considered low by the victim’s defense.
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