HOUSTON, Aug. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- An African
American woman, Sharnez Kavonn Hager, has filed an appeal with the
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, challenging a lower
court's dismissal of her racial discrimination lawsuit against
Chili's Grill & Bar, owned by Brinker International, Inc.
(NYSE: EAT).
The lawsuit accuses Chili's of racial discrimination for
refusing to seat her at an open table, only to later offer the
table to another customer, who was white.
When confronted, the restaurant hostess said the white customer
had reserved the table. But Ms. Hager knew that to be a lie, as the
white customer was her fiancé, who had been waiting outside.
According to an appellate brief, the hostess in question later
apologized to Ms. Hager for discriminating against her. The
document also says Chili's initial response to her discrimination
complaint was to offer her $100 in
gift cards.
"I don't know that I've ever seen a case of racial
discrimination that is as plainly obvious and as poorly handled as
this one," says Brian
Trachtenberg of Greathouse Holloway McFadden
Trachtenberg, who represents Ms. Hager in the case. "What happened
that night and everything since were designed to make Sharnez feel
like a second-class citizen."
Dallas-based Brinker later
assigned someone to investigate the case, though he had no
experience in such cases, failed to speak with key witnesses, never
asked any questions about race, and later destroyed his notes.
According to the lawsuit, Ms. Hager and her party – all of them
African American – entered the Chili's restaurant in Rosenberg, Texas, in March 2017, and asked for a table that appeared
available. A hostess said the table was reserved.
But 20-25 minutes later, when a white man arrived and asked for
a table for a large party, he was immediately given the "reserved"
table. When Ms. Hager asked the hostess why the man had been
offered the table, the hostess claimed he was the person who
reserved it.
The hostess did not know, however, that the man was Ms. Hager's
then-fiancé (now husband), Kevin
Hager, who had been waiting outside. And not only had he not
made reservations, but Chili's restaurants do not accept
reservations.
The appellate filing notes that when confronted with the truth,
the hostess responded with, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry."
Several weeks later, when Chili's management invited Ms. Hager
back to the restaurant, the same hostess came to the table and
said, "I apologize for discriminating against you."
Chili's later disciplined the hostess for putting Ms. Hager in
what it called a "false wait," meaning she should have been seated
at a table. The company also disciplined the general manager at the
Rosenberg Chili's for failing to train the staff about bias.
The case is Sharnez Kavonn (Lipscomb) Hager v. Brinker Texas, Inc. D/B/A
Chili's Grill & Bar, Cause No. 4:19-cv-00595, in the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
Greathouse Holloway McFadden Trachtenberg is a Houston-based law firm known for its
impressive track record in commercial litigation, labor and
employment, mergers and acquisitions, banking, real estate and
finance, and corporate contractual matters. The firm prides itself
on bringing to any case a uniquely business-savvy perspective and
valuable insight borne of years of courtroom and boardroom
experience, along with an exceptional level of client service honed
by years of building highly successful relationships. Visit
greatlaw.com to learn more.
Media Contact:
April
Arias
800-559-4534
april@androvett.com
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SOURCE Greathouse Holloway McFadden Trachtenberg