“…He contends Matt Stickle, executive chef of the hotel’s Bite restaurant, belittled him in front of customers and co-workers and that the Murano’s managers did nothing to rectify the situation when he complained. Conteh, 
who immigrated to the United States from Africa, contends he was treated hurtfully and unfairly because he’s black…”
A Pierce County man is suing Tacoma’s Hotel Murano and the executive chef of its high-end restaurant, contending they discriminated against him when he worked there as a waiter. Muhammed Conteh filed his lawsuit last week in Pierce County Superior Court. Conteh seeks unspecified damages for discrimination, disparate treatment and the infliction of emotional distress.
Conteh contends, among other things, that Stickle “continuously harassed plaintiff about his personal smell and would physically smell the plaintiff and embarrass him in front of customers,†according to the suit.
Conteh said he also was punished for using the kitchen telephone and engaging in horseplay with colleagues. White co-workers who engaged in similar behavior were not disciplined, he contends.
Conteh was fired in January after working at the restaurant for eight years. He has been unemployed since, said his lawyer, Thaddeus Martin.
