Wealthy Russian family settles dispute with housekeeper after sex and drugs allegations

The wife of a wealthy London-based Russian sacked the housekeeper who blew the whistle on her drug-taking and abusive behaviour, according to a claim filed at an employment tribunal.

The former employee, known as Ms P, said in her claim that the wife was frequently drunk, appeared to be using illegal drugs and kept “inappropriate” pictures of her children on her iPad. She says the children told her they had seen pictures of their mother having sex with other men and that they did not feel safe being left alone with her.

The names of those involved have been kept private following a court order requested by the family to protect the children’s identities. The claim, for unfair dismissal, was withdrawn this week after the parties reached a settlement.

The housekeeper also said that the wife – referred to as Ms Q – hired a live-in nanny who drank heavily and was abusive to the children. She alleged the nanny had supplied drugs to Ms Q and that she once found lines of cocaine in the bathroom.

Ms Q denied the allegations of drug-taking and child neglect and insisted the housekeeper’s dismissal had been legitimate and justified.

Another incident described by Ms P in her filings involved a family outing when the mother appeared to be drunk and/or on drugs. According to the documents, Ms P claims that the mother “was agitated, fidgeted and sniffed constantly, and shouted unnecessarily at the children”.

“[Ms Q] left to go to the toilet, and was gone for a prolonged period of time. Eventually the Claimant and the […] children went to look for her. When they found her in a toilet cubicle, her nose was running.

“[Ms Q] paid no attention to her surroundings. She fell asleep twice, on the second occasion whilst spread over the top of a table.”

Ms P said that in the days following the trip, she complained about Ms Q’s behaviour to the chief financial officer of the husband’s companies and to Ms Q herself.

She says that after this, Ms Q became hostile. Less than a fortnight later, Ms Q told her to return her bankcard, write her letter of resignation and leave the house keys – effectively dismissing her.

The company managing the family’s affairs then initiated a disciplinary procedure during which Ms P was accused of using the wife’s account to cover unauthorised personal expenses.

Ms P denies the allegation, saying she took the money to pay for her own household expenses as per an agreement with the family.

The family say that Ms Q did not regularly check the family account and Ms P took advantage of this.

They deny the claims of unfair dismissal, detriments on the grounds of making a protected disclosure and breaches of contract.

The claimant was responsible for managing the family’s UK homes, including cooking, cleaning, liaising with contractors and managing the household budget. She also looked after the family’s two children.

The claim was expected to be heard last week and this week before being withdrawn. An application had been made by the media for reporting restrictions to be lifted.

* This story was updated on Monday 7 April 2025 to include the fact that Ms Q denied the allegations.