Gordon Gainer and Leticia White
Filing Date: January 31, 2007
Incident Date: March 16, 2006
Cruise Bruise: Racial Discrimination
Home Town: Brooklyn, NY
Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Lines
Ship: Norwegian Dawn
Details:
Gordon Gainer and Leticia White
Racial Discrimination By Norwegian Cruise Lines
January 31, 2007
A lawsuit was filed by Gordon Gainer and Leticia White against Norwegian Cruise Line, Ltd., Steiner Leisure Limited, Steiner Management Services, L.L.C., El Doradod Hair Salon and Mandara Spa, in the New York Eastern District Court, Kings County, Brooklyn Office, claiming Gordon Gainer was discriminated against by a hair stylist in the onboard hair salon because he was black, and that the incident ruined his honeymoon. The hair stylist was not named.
The couple was married on the Norwegian Dawn March 16, 2006 by Captain Arnold.
Gainer alleges when he went into the hair salon to get his facial hair trimmed, he was told by the stylist, "We don't cut black. "I looked down, I said, 'What do you mean?' and she said, 'We don't cut black hair.' "
Based on that statement, it was obviously assumed by Gainer, she did not mean black color hair, because that would make no sense at all. Instead it was taken to mean hair on black skin people.
Gainer alleges discrimination and emotional distress and demands the return of the couple's $1,164 fare from Norwegian Cruise Lines, plus punitive damages.
Norwegian Cruise Lines says it was a miscommunication between the hair stylist and the passenger because the stylist had poor english skills. They have not said what word or words, in what language would have replaced the word "black" in the stylist's response, had her english been better.
A jury trial was demanded, and the case will be heard before Judge Sandra L. Townes, who is also an African American.
