West Hollywood’s SoHo House, a renowned hotspot for celebrities, is facing a lawsuit from a former Latino employee. The employee, Eduardo Rodriguez, alleges that he experienced racial discrimination, being denied promotions and ultimately terminated in March after he voiced his concerns.
In his lawsuit filed in Santa Monica Superior Court, Rodriguez claims wrongful termination, retaliation, and a failure to prevent discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. He is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for the mistreatment he endured.
A representative for the famed Sunset Boulevard eatery, known for attracting A-listers like Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone, and occasionally Oprah Winfrey, has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the lawsuit filed on September 15.
According to the lawsuit, Rodriguez was initially hired as a back server at the Malibu location in March 2018. He was later transferred to the West Hollywood location the following year. His responsibilities included cleaning bar areas, collecting empty dishware, and restocking bar materials.
In May 2022, Rodriguez expressed his desire for promotions, specifically as a server. However, management informed him that he needed to work as a food runner or back server first, positions he had already held, according to the lawsuit. Interestingly, during this same period, non-Latino employees were promoted without having previously worked as food runners or back servers. The lawsuit also highlights that other Latino and non-white employees were also being denied promotions to server positions.
Furthermore, Rodriguez alleges that the general manager of the establishment made derogatory comments about Latinos, including stating that “Mexicans are too problematic.” The lawsuit also claims that this same person covered up mistakes made by non-Latino workers while discriminating against Latinos. In January, Rodriguez met with a manager to voice his concerns about the discrimination he witnessed. He pointed out that immigrant employees were consistently assigned to the back of the kitchen and that new hires at SoHo House were rarely Latino, according to the lawsuit. However, the manager failed to take any meaningful action to address Rodriguez’s concerns.
In February, Rodriguez applied for a promotion to server once again but was rejected. This led him to believe that SoHo House did not want to promote non-white individuals to “client-facing” roles, as stated in the lawsuit. In March, he applied for a server position once more, but a week later, he was falsely accused of drinking restaurant coffee and criticized for breaking a glass, a common occurrence in the restaurant industry. Both of these incidents were cited as grounds for his termination on March 20. Rodriguez maintains that he was fired due to his race and as retaliation for his discrimination complaints. The lawsuit asserts that he has suffered financially and emotionally as a result of losing his job.
This lawsuit brings attention to the alleged discriminatory practices and mistreatment within SoHo House. Rodriguez’s case highlights the need for equal opportunities and fair treatment in the workplace, regardless of one’s race or ethnicity.
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