Former W Hotel employee accused of practicing Voodoo and witchcraft sues

NEW ORLEANS – A former employee of a hotel chain alleges she was fired after co-workers started slanderous rumors about her being involved in witchcraft and Voodoo.

Marie T. Hall filed suit against W Hotels, an affiliate of Starwood Hotels and Resorts WorldWide in the Orleans Parish Civil Court.

Hall asserts she was an employee of a W Hotel in New Orleans from April 1996 to November 2012. The plaintiff claims she was suddenly informed by her supervisor of shortcomings in her work performance and fired.  However, Hall claims that was the first time she had been made aware of performance deficiencies and therefore she did not have the chance to correct them while still employed.

The plaintiff claims shortly before her termination, employees spread rumors about Hall being much older than she looks and that she is a practitioner of evil witchcraft. Hall is of Haitian descent and believes these rumors linked her to discriminatory narratives of Voodoo. Hall accuses the W of denying her equal opportunity based on age and national origin.

Hall is seeking unspecified damages for her denial of civil rights, loss of future wages and benefits, elevation of blood pressure, onset of depression and anxiety due to emotional distress. Hall claims filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, entitling her to recover a penalty under the provisions of the federal age discrimination in employment act.

Hall is representing herself in the case pro se.

This case has been assigned to Division I Chief Judge Piper D. Griffin.

Case no. 2013-11055.