White Woman Calls New York Hotel Receptionist The N-Word And Spits At Her Because She Asked For ID
A white woman demanding a hotel room key became aggressive with the receptionist who refused to let her in without proper identification, calling her the N-word, spitting on her repeatedly and hitting her in the face with her cell phone.
Now, Linda Shell, who was the receptionist at City Club Hotel in New York City, has filed a lawsuit against Michelle Rajacic for the incident, which occurred on April 6, 2018, the New York Post reports.
According to the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit filed by Shell, just after midnight, Rajacic entered the Midtown hotel lobby demanding a room key. When Shell asked to see her identification, Rajacic began spewing racial epithets, the New York Post reports.
The 36-year-old Black woman captured the incident on video, and Rajacic can be seen calling her a “n*****,” “dirty f***ing raunchy skank,” “dirty f***ing hood rat,” “f***ing ghetto ass,” and other offensive phrases, the New York Post reports.
Rajacic can also allegedly be heard shouting, “Actually my boyfriend’s f***ing family pays you,” the New York Post reports.
According to Shell’s lawsuit, Rajacic began spitting on her and she was then allegedly “struck in the face with a cell phone,” the New York Post reports.
“After, she kept spitting. I was getting more upset because that is the lowest thing you can do to someone. I said, ‘OK, ma’am it’s time for you to go,’” Shell claimed in the lawsuit, according to the New York Post.
“I grabbed her arm and started leading her to the front desk,” Shell continued, the New York Post reports. “She then broke her cell phone across my face.”
The lawsuit charges, “Defendant spit on Plaintiff and then assaulted, battered, and attacked the Plaintiff, and used physical force without cause or justification and without Plaintiff’s consent,” the New York Post reports.
Police confirmed that Rajacic was arrested for the incident and, according to the lawsuit, she was eventually convicted of third-degree assault, the New York Post reports.
However, once Rajacic was released from jail, the hotel gave her a free room, according to Shell, who quit her job in disgust, reports the New York Post.
“I told them I could no longer work there because my safety is no longer important to them,” Shell said, according to the New York Post.
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“This is the first we are learning of this litigation,” Joshua Barbee, the hotel’s manager, said, denying the charge, the New York Post reports.
“The claims being made regarding the hotel are completely incorrect,” he added, according to the New York Post. “With that said, since this is pending litigation, we will have no further comment.”
Shell, who is originally from Savannah, Georgia, is suing for unspecified charges and said she was shocked to experience such racism up north, especially never having experienced it when living in the Deep South, the New York Post reports.
“When it comes to anything racial you have a better chance of it happening down south than up north,” she said, according to the New York Post. “I never in my life thought I would have to experience that up here. That’s why I moved here.”
The New York Post reports Shell’s attorney, John Tait, said, “While Ms. Shell demonstrated noble restraint in the face of such bigotry, what she was forced to endure should not, and will not, be tolerated. We will fight to ensure that Ms. Rajacic is held to account for her actions.”
According to the New York Post, Rajacic nor her criminal defense attorney has responded to requests for comment.
