The Foreign Affairs Ministry said its diplomat has been instructed to settle amicably the federal lawsuit in the United States that she and her husband are currently facing for allegedly treating their Sri Lankan maid "virtually as a slave".

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs takes note that a lawsuit has been filed in New York against a Malaysian civil servant formerly stationed at the Office of the Consul-General in New York, USA.

"The matter has been brought to the attention of the officer involved with instructions that it should be settled amicably," Wisma Putra said in a statement today.

It added that this is a civil case involving a private contractual agreement, and will thus be dealt with according to the due process of law.

It was reported yesterday that Parimaladevi "Mala" Jeganathan was made to work 15-plus hours a day for no more than US$1.71 per hour, at least when she was paid.

The diplomat, Tamil Arasi Krishnan, and her husband Danish Kumar, also allegedly forbade Parimaladevi from leaving their apartment and threatened her that "something" would be done to her if she did.

The lawsuit said Parimaladevi, who started working for the couple in 2013, was "fearful of venturing outside alone" and claimed she was watched by the Malaysian consulate's security guards and building's doorman.

“It was pretty clear that she was their servant. She wasn’t allowed to leave the house, except to sometimes accompany the family to church,” Parimaladevi's lawyer Anne Li said.

According to reports, the lawsuit accused the couple of violating laws intended to protect human trafficking victims as well as breaking state and federal labour laws.

It also carried a civil charge that accused Tamil Arasi and Danish of fraud and breach of contract with Parimaladevi. No criminal charge was filed.