WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, America First Legal (AFL) and Cooper & Kirk announced that they would be joining a lawsuit against Expedia, Inc., on behalf of a plaintiff who alleges he was illegally discriminated against in hiring because he is a white male.
The plaintiff made it through the hiring process and received an oral offer of employment. He was told he was the “top pick” among all the job candidates. Expedia even sent him their benefit information in preparation for his written offer. However, he never received the written offer as promised.
After months of delay, blamed on internal reorganization, Expedia reopened the job search and began interviewing other applicants. Again, the plaintiff was interviewed, he even traveled to New York to meet with senior leadership. The “Chief People, Diversity, and Inclusion” canceled his meeting with the plaintiff twice. The Senior Vice President of Talent Acquisition conveyed to the plaintiff that Expedia’s bizarre handling of his candidacy was due to Expedia’s Chief People, Inclusion, and Diversity Officer, Michael David Velasco’s desire to hire a “diverse candidate” for the role.
Ultimately, Expedia decided to hire a “diverse” last-minute internal referral candidate. Notably, the plaintiff in this case is a white male.
Such obvious and overt discrimination cannot be permitted to continue. Refusing to hire someone because of a preference for someone of a different race or sex is discrimination against the person whose race or sex was disfavored.
Expedia should expect to be held to account for its clear discrimination.
Statement from Gene Hamilton, America First Legal Executive Director, Executive Vice President, and General Counsel:
“We are proud to join this important case to fight for the rights of our client and all Americans to be treated equally and judged based on merit–not arbitrarily discriminated against because of their race. Federal law makes clear that no discrimination means no discrimination, and we look forward to fighting for our client’s civil rights.”
Read the Amended Complaint here.
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Photo Credits: Adobe Stock Images.
