An ordeal unfolded for a family when their nanny allegedly moved into their guesthouse and refused to leave.
Jamie Carano Nordenström and Philip Nordenström, a married couple, initially believed they had found their ideal nanny to assist with their newborn when their daughter arrived in 2024.
Jamie remarked that Barbara Molnar seemed ideal due to her experience as a mother of four and grandmother of two, and her ability to speak German was an added advantage as they wanted to raise their child bilingually.
Barbara responded to their ad on Nanny Lane, and Jamie and Philip promptly hired her on a part-time basis of 18 hours a week at a rate of $25 per hour. It was anticipated that she would spend considerable time in their renovated $1 million neo-Colonial farmhouse in Hillsdale, New York, as Jamie shared with The Cut.
Initially, everything seemed perfect, with Barbara baking teething biscuits and reading German books to the baby.
However, it wasn’t long before Jamie mentioned that the nanny requested to move into their guesthouse, which had been noted in their original advertisement.
They agreed, allowing her to live there rent-free as Jamie was reluctant to grant her legal tenant status.
The situation deteriorated when Barbara allegedly disregarded their rules by bringing her Labrador to live with her and allowing her young son to stay much longer than expected, from the Christmas break to mid-January.
The mother recounted to the outlet that the nanny stopped cleaning up after herself in their main house, including neglecting to tidy up when her dog defecated in the garden or inside their home.
Jamie claimed that Barbara crossed property lines with the baby and introduced herself to a local as a ‘neighbor’ instead of the family’s au pair.
When the Nordenströms returned from a trip, they reportedly found the vacuum clogged with dog hair, teenagers in their pool, and their fridges filled with food, leaving no room for their own groceries.
That evening, Jamie and Barbara had a confrontation, with the nanny accusing Jamie of prematurely ending her son’s party and embarrassing him in front of friends.
After eight months, the couple decided to dismiss her, offering assistance in finding new housing and payment through the end of the month.
However, Barbara allegedly invoked tenant’s rights, stating: “You don’t know the law. This is my home, my furnished apartment. This is my designated parking space.”
“We knew, at that point, that she had engaged with us to gain access to our home,” Jamie said to the outlet.
After consulting with a lawyer, the Nordenströms learned that under New York State law, Barbara was considered a licensee of their property based on an oral agreement.
Jamie revoked her permission in writing and delivered a 10-day notice in person as Barbara was leaving the driveway.
As Jamie approached, she claimed that Barbara accelerated towards her, stopping just short of hitting her, and disregarded the notice.
Eventually, the Nordenströms took legal action, filing for eviction in court, labeling the ex-nanny a ‘professional con-artist’. They reported the dog to local animal control and made several police calls.
A judge ordered Barbara to vacate the premises by September 10.
Upon her departure, Jamie described the guesthouse as soaked in urine, which didn’t appear to be from the dog.
Barbara denied attempting to run Jamie over and countered that there were only five or six children at the pool party and merely 14 burgers in the refrigerator that Jamie claimed was full.
“Maybe it was a bear,” she quipped when questioned about the urine smell in the guesthouse.
She added that she felt ‘completely discredited and slandered’.
A judge issued identical protection orders against both Barbara and Jamie.