A Black man who lost his Altadena home in the Eaton Fire sued Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. Monday, alleging he was treated as a criminal and made a victim of racial profiling while temporarily staying at one of the upscale hotel chain's properties.
Ramon Barry's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations include civil rights violations, assault, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract, negligent hiring, supervision and retention and premises liability. Barry seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
There was no immediate response to an email sent late Monday afternoon to a Hilton representative seeking comment on the suit, which includes multiple color photos of the fire damage as well as Barry's confrontation with Hilton security guards in a parking garage.
According to the suit, Barry, 40, contacted Hilton through the appropriate channels after his home burned down to inquire about its offer of temporary accommodations to fire victims like him. Barry was eventually called by a Hilton representative and offered a free week stay at one of the company's hotels, the location of which is not identified in the complaint.
Barry checked in at the front desk about 2 a.m. Jan. 29, went to his room to sleep and later that day went down to the lobby, where a security guard took a photo of him for no other reason than to racially profile and harass the plaintiff, the suit states.
Barry subsequently went into the parking garage and was approached by four guards, one of which told him, "You don't belong here," "Get out of here" and "We will call the police," the suit states.
Barry, "startled, scared and humiliated," said he was a guest, but the guards were undeterred and one became hostile, uttered an obscenity and raised his fists at the plaintiff, challenging him to fight, the suit states.
Barry, "petrified for his life, horrified and completely humiliated," began recording with his phone the guards and the hotel manager, who also was present, and thought of the outcome of other Black men in police confrontations, including George Floyd, the suit states.
Barry reminded the guards and the manager that he was a hotel guest and had done nothing wrong, but he nonetheless was told to stay put, turn off his car engine and give them his car keys, the suit states. The plaintiff was escorted back to the lobby, where the manager checked and confirmed Barry was a guest, the suit states.
One guard later told a police officer that Barry was mistakenly held and thought to be another Black man that the guard and his colleagues thought was involved in unlawful behavior, the suit states.
Barry believes the guard's mistaken identity explanation is false and that he was treated the way he was because of his race, according to the suit, which further states that the plaintiff left the hotel rather than fear for his life and "swore he would never set foot on a Hilton property again."