EXCLUSIVE: Romanian Court Issues First Decision In Nanny Mistreatment Case

Attorney Georgiana Teodorescu told MEDIAFAX on Friday that the court ordered Lovinica Dinu, formerly employed by Irina Olteanu as a nanny for her daughter Eva, to pay a criminal fine in the amount of 1,000 lei (EUR1=RON4.2448), as well as RON1,000 in moral damages and RON150 in court fees. The June 16 ruling is the first decision in such a case, with several complaints against nannies pending trial.

The case of the two year old Eva caught the attention of the press and of the authorities last summer, when her mother, Irina Olteanu, revealed video footage capturing the nanny’s violent behavior towards the girl. Olteanu decided to install security cameras after noticing the girl would start to cry when she saw the nanny.

The authorities accepted the unauthorized, amateur, footage as evidence and indicted Lovinica Dinu, 62, on April 12, 2010 on charges of hitting and other forms of violence. The victim could not be interviewed, because of her young age.

The ruling can be appealed before the Court of Bucharest.