In a striking case of alleged workplace discrimination, a former employee has taken legal action against her previous employer for racial discrimination and retaliation. On December 31, 2025, Keyunda Payton filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Hospitality Staffing Solutions, LLC. The lawsuit accuses the company of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 42 U.S.C. § 1981.
The complaint details a troubling series of events that began when Payton was hired as a housekeeper on January 22, 2025. She alleges that from the onset, she faced discriminatory treatment from her trainer, Lucy, who is Hispanic. According to Payton, Lucy questioned management at the client hotel about whether they wanted someone else besides Payton before even interacting with her. This set the tone for what Payton describes as ongoing harassment and discrimination based on her race.
Payton claims that Lucy refused to communicate with her in English despite being able to do so and only provided training in Spanish, which Payton could not understand. This language barrier allegedly created an environment where Payton was isolated and unable to perform her duties effectively. Moreover, Lucy is accused of targeting Payton by scrutinizing her work excessively and reporting false claims about her performance to hotel management.
The situation escalated when Payton reported these issues to Karina, another manager at Hospitality Staffing Solutions, expressing that she believed she was being targeted because she is black. Despite raising these concerns with multiple managers including Jamie and Maria at the hotel where she worked, no corrective actions were taken. Instead, three days after lodging her complaints with Karina on January 26, 2025, Payton was terminated under the pretext of leaving work early—a decision made after discussions between Karina and Maria.
Payton’s lawsuit asserts that this termination was retaliatory in nature due to her complaints about racial discrimination—an act prohibited under both Title VII and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. The plaintiff seeks compensatory damages for lost wages and emotional distress as well as punitive damages due to what she describes as willful misconduct by Hospitality Staffing Solutions.
In addition to financial compensation, Payton requests declaratory judgment affirming that her rights were violated and seeks injunctive relief potentially including reinstatement or front pay if reinstatement is not feasible. She also demands reasonable attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses be covered by the defendant.
Representing Keyunda Payton are attorneys V. Severin Roberts and Patrick Reid from The Workers’ Firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:25-cv-07482-JPB-JEM with proceedings overseen by Judge JPB-JEM.
Source: 125cv7482_Keyunda_Payton_v_Hospitality_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Georgia.pdf
