A former employee has filed a lawsuit against two prominent hotel management companies, alleging severe workplace discrimination and wrongful termination. Kacey Hudson initiated the complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on December 24, 2024, targeting Aimbridge Hospitality, LLC and Interstate Management Company, LLC.
Kacey Hudson's case unfolds as a narrative of alleged racial and national origin discrimination, retaliation, and harassment during her tenure as a Housekeeping Supervisor. Hudson claims that her Jamaican heritage was a catalyst for discriminatory actions from her superiors, particularly after revealing her ethnicity to Assistant Director Mary Bovia. This revelation allegedly led to unjust treatment including verbal warnings for absences due to medical emergencies, exclusion from promised promotions, and subjection to fabricated customer complaints about her work performance. According to Hudson's complaint, "Assistant Director Bovia issued a verbal warning for the absences nearly four weeks after the violations," highlighting perceived retaliatory behavior following the disclosure of her Jamaican descent.
Hudson further alleges that she was subjected to a hostile work environment characterized by derogatory comments and threatening messages from unknown sources. She suspects these messages were orchestrated by Bovia due to their timing and content. Despite numerous complaints to Human Resources and attempts to seek transfers within the company due to ongoing harassment, Hudson's requests were consistently denied. The lawsuit details how "Plaintiff attended a meeting with General Manager Hailey Martin and Director Bovia... Plaintiff's request for a transfer was denied," illustrating the systemic nature of her grievances.
The legal action also accuses Aimbridge Hospitality and Interstate Management of violating several federal statutes including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. These allegations stem from incidents where Hudson was reportedly denied reasonable accommodations during her pregnancy despite repeated requests. Assistant General Manager Jordan Dorsey identified an alternative position that would have lessened physical demands on Hudson but noted that "Director Bovia and General Manager Martin denied the request for reassignment."
Hudson seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress, lost wages due to wrongful termination, punitive damages against both companies for their alleged misconduct, reinstatement or front pay in lieu thereof if reinstatement is not feasible or desired by Ms. Hudson herself; along with attorney fees as well as any other relief deemed appropriate by this court under applicable laws governing such cases brought forth under civil rights protections provided therein too.
The Case ID is: 2:24-cv-02937.