The Shinola Hotel’s operating partner has responded to a racial discrimination lawsuit filed earlier this month on behalf of a Black Detroit man who claims his resume was ignored until he resubmitted it with the white-sounding name “John Jebrowski.”
In a statement, Sage Hospitality called the lawsuit “baseless” and touted its diverse workforce.
“Unfortunately, it is clear that the plaintiff’s attorney is spreading these false allegations through the media in an attempt to intimidate the company and cause reputational and financial harm,” Sage Hospitality Group president Daniel del Olmo said.
“Here are the facts: since Sage Hospitality took over operations of the Shinola Hotel in November 2023, more than 78% of the new hires self-identify as people of color and 66% of those new hires self-identify as Black or African American,” he continued. “71% of the employees who have been promoted since Sage Hospitality took over operations identify as people of color and 57% of those promoted identify as Black or African American.”
He added, “Today, almost 75% of our team members are people of color. 60% of those team members are Black. Our diverse workforce is represented on every level of our organization ranging from entry level employees to directors who serve on our executive leadership team.”
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Sage Hospitality notes that a number of the positions that plaintiff Dwight Jackson, 27, applied for were given to other Black applicants.
“Our preliminary review of the facts reveal significant inconsistencies with the plaintiff’s allegations in this lawsuit,” the statement continues. “Of the four roles for which the plaintiff applied, three of them were filled by Black applicants. Both of the positions the plaintiff applied for using the false name ‘John Jebrowski’ were filled by Black people. It is important to note that all of these positions were filled prior to this lawsuit.”
The statement continues, “While we can not disclose further details as it relates to this specific matter, we want to assure you, our team members and our community, that discrimination of any kind will never be tolerated. Sage Hospitality has a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion and is recognized as a national leader in hospitality. We believe that everyone benefits from a diverse and inclusive environment and will continue to foster an inclusive workplace.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Jackson by Marko Law, PLLC. The firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the lawsuit, Jackson has “extensive” hospitality experience and applied to work at the luxury hotel multiple times between January and April of this year without getting any response.
After he applied as “John Jebrowski,” he claimed he got a response within a week.
The lawsuit alleges that the incident is a violation of the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.
After this article was published, Marko Law provided a statement to Metro Times .
“The evidence in this case is clear,” the statement reads. “Sage Hospitality hides behind being a ‘diverse’ company on its face. However, evidence suggests the complete opposite when a deeper dive is done. There have been numerous witnesses that have come forward, stating that multiple black employees were terminated from their roles or were not hired because they were not ‘luxury enough.’ Furthermore, when Sage Hospitality hires black employees, they are constantly overlooked for promotions even though they are more qualified. Sage Hospitality simply does enough to look good on paper while hiding the truth from reality. This is a common defense tactic that Marko Law sees in racial discrimination claims, and this case is no different.”
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This article was updated with a statement from Marko Law.
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