Steven Nicolosi was removed from the hotel conglomerate’s Irvine, CA location during an incident where he believes the Unruh Civil Rights Act was violated.
Steven Nicolosi was removed from the hotel conglomerate’s Irvine, CA location during an incident where he believes the Unruh Civil Rights Act was violated.
New York resident Steven Nicolosi has filed a personal legal complaint against one of the largest hotel chains worldwide, following an incident that began on February 5th, 2021.
Mr. Nicolosi claims that staff at the brand’s Irvine location had discriminated against him on the basis of his mental illness and had removed him from the property without returning his essential personal belongings, including anti-psychosis medication, his wallet, cash, credit cards, and his New York driver’s license.
“It is frightening to think that any guest that chooses to stay at any one of the brand’s many properties would and could be treated as I was,” commented Mr. Nicolosi. “I truly hope that staff and management will consider how they treat their guests, so that nobody will – in the future – be treated this way. The sad fact of mental disability and its stigma within society is still quite prevalent. We need any and all brands of this magnitude to be aware of and train their staff properly regarding the trait of compassion provided to those guests who may be suffering from such limitations in life as I do. If we can accomplish awareness and growth in knowledge throughout society, then that would be deemed quite a large step. Personally, I I feel that we are not large enough, as a group, to present our issues and limitations within government or the private sector for any advancement of legislation to occur. A large movement for change in the related mental illness laws and programs available must occur for us to be able to move forward and progress within society. Personally, I do not see this happening any time soon, and that is sad to say, but it is our reality. “
Without proof of identification, Mr. Nicolosi was unable to secure alternative accommodation and without means of charging his phone couldn’t contact anybody to seek help. He was eventually admitted to hospital and discharged to the care of extended family members thanks to a missing persons report that his parents filed after they lost contact with him.
Mr. Nicolosi was left in an extremely vulnerable position and feels that the ordeal caused irreparable damage to his mental health and quality of life, for which he is seeking $10 million in compensation.
According to his legal team, concise, reasonable justification has not as of yet been provided for the mistreatment of Mr. Nicolosi. Despite the suggestion that Mr. Nicolosi did not have a reservation for the night in question, he has shown email evidence confirming his reservation.
Mr. Nicolosi had checked into the hotel in person for four consecutive days prior to the incident and made the reception staff aware that he was unable to return to New York because of the severity of his mental illness. It is for that reason that he believes the hotel violated the Unruh Civil Rights Act, which outlaws discrimination in housing and public accommodations based on disability and medical condition, among other characteristics.
Media Contact
Company Name: Arthur Kim Law Firm
Contact Person: Arthur Kim
Email: akim@arthurkimlaw.com
Phone: (866) 582-1057
City: New York City
State: New York
Country : USA
