An Airbnb host from Atlanta is facing a lawsuit for alleged racial discrimination against a guest who claims that the host rejected her after learning that she was Black.
Sharona Stewart, a woman in her mid-30s, has filed a federal lawsuit against George Yu Shihfang. His Atlanta property was listed on Airbnb as being situated in a “peaceful white neighborhood.”
According to the complaint accessed by The Independent, Stewart alleged that she came across Shihfang’s six-bed, six-bath property on Airbnb on June 2, 2024, when she was looking for long-term accommodations.
Situated in the Atlanta suburb of Dunwoody, Georgia, the property boasts a pool, a tennis court, and a jacuzzi. The property is “Home to 1 out of 30 Giant Meta Sequoia in the Southeast [sic],” the listing said, according to her complaint. “Native to the Pacific West Coast the 250+ year old tree is what this unique Mansard Roof Home was built around in 1965.”
Stewart alleged that when she initially booked the property, she exchanged “cordial” messages with Shihfang.
But when Shihfang discovered that Stewart was a person of color after allegedly asking her “racially based questions,” he allegedly stopped responding and even canceled her reservation, a complaint filed on May 29 in a federal court in Atlanta reportedly reveals.
Stewart’s complaint alleges that Shihfang, two unnamed property managers identified as “John Doe” defendants, and Airbnb stopped responding to her reservation requests. They also ignored her follow-up inquiries. Stewart’s booking request was ultimately declined through the Airbnb app, the lawsuit alleges.
Only then, the complaint states, Stewart took a closer look at the listing and went through the “Neighborhood Highlights” section. There, the listing described the area as a “peaceful white neighborhood” and noted that the estate sits on two-and-a-half acres “in a private oasis. No neighbors around.”
Stewart reported the incident to Airbnb and raised alarms about the “racially preferential language” in the host’s ad. However, Airbnb closed the complaint and did not take any action. It kept allowing the allegedly discriminatory advertisement to remain on its website.
According to the complaint, host Shihfang and the two other property managers listed as “John Does” “intentionally discriminated” against Stewart. The lawsuit also accuses the defendants of applying “disparate standards” in reviewing rental applications, and violating civil rights, The Independent reports.
The complaint also accuses Airbnb of maintaining “policies, practices, customs or discretionary systems permitting race discrimination against African-American customers and/or other racial minorities.”
Neither Airbnb nor Shihfang has commented on the lawsuit.
Stewart’s attorney Bataski Bailey told The Independent that his client was treated in a “grotesque” manner. He added that he could not imagine how many others experienced the same thing, saying that the lawsuit is crucial to ensure that racial discrimination is not allowed to exist without pushback.
The property listing has now been removed from Airbnb’s website.
According to The Independent, “Stewart is alleging violations of the U.S. Fair Housing Act, Georgia’s Fair Housing Act, two federal civil rights statutes, and negligence. Her complaint says she has suffered, among other things, emotional distress, embarrassment and humiliation, inconvenience, and loss of housing opportunity.”
Stewart is seeking damages in compensation as well as attorneys’ fees and court costs.
