PORTLAND, Ore. — Editor's note: The video above aired Jan. 23, 2019.
An African American hotel guest who made national headlines after he was ousted from a Doubletree hotel in Portland for allegedly "calling his mother while black" from his cellphone in the hotel lobby is seeking $10 million in a lawsuit.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the lawsuit was filed Tuesday by Jermaine Massey's lawyers against the hotel chain.
Massey's lawyers claim there's a systemic problem of racism within the Hilton hotel chain, which owns 17 brands and more than 5,800 properties worldwide.
The lawsuit says the 35-year-old from the Seattle area was staying at the Doubletree in the Lloyd District Dec. 22 when a security guard asked if he was a guest and to state his room number.
The lawsuit says although he gave his room number he was escorted from the property.
In a statement Hilton says following the incident Hilton accelerated training for all franchise properties globally and worked with the Doubletree by Hilton Portland, an independently owned and operated property, to ensure their employees have completed the diversity and unconscious bias training.