Black owner of upscale restaurant files $50 million discrimination lawsuit

A Black man who is the owner and chef of a five-star restaurant in the St. Regis Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C., recently filed a $50 million lawsuit against the hotel, claiming the management discriminated against him because of his race.

Timothy Dean, the owner of Timothy Dean Restaurant and Bar, alleged in the lawsuit that the St. Regis Hotel tried to put him out of business by referring customers to other restaurants.

Dean also claimed in the lawsuit that the management and staff members harassed him and that the hotel's general manager sent an e-mail to another employee stating, among other things ,that "this nigger is not only costing The St. Regis to lose revenue but it's giving the Hotel a negative image."

The suit also alleges that another hotel executive told staff members: "No Black man is capable of running a five-star establishment and he should stay in the kitchen."

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., also names Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the parent company of the St. Regis.

K.C. Kavanagh, a spokeswoman for Starwood Hotels, told the Washington Post: "Starwood has a strong policy of not commenting on pending litigation. In light of the nature of the claims, we feel obligated to comment. We deeply resent the attempt to convert Timothy Dean's commercial failure into a racial issue."

Dean's attorney, Jimmy A. Bell, told JET:, "This issue is about race, it is about discrimination. They said he was bringing down the value of the hotel and the restaurant because he is Black. But yet, his restaurant was rated five stars by two different rating organizations. This is definitely about race."

Dean, 32, told JET: "It's makes me feel sad. I am saddened that we have had to fight for everything since we hit these shores. We fought through slavery, Jim Crow, the Civil Rights Movement and now they are attacking us in our businesses."