Woman sues Airbnb, alleging she was denied Dunwoody rental because she is Black

“I just can’t believe it happened,” Stewart said.

According to Stewart, she found a listing for a home on Manhasset Drive in Dunwoody that immediately caught her attention.

“It just screamed immaculate, and I wanted to stay there,” she said.

Stewart said when she attempted to book the property through Airbnb, she received an automated message asking her to introduce herself to the host.

“I went to book, and they automatically sent a response for me to tell them about myself,” Stewart said. “I went all in. I wrote a couple paragraphs just saying who I was, and what I do, and how I’d love to stay there for X amount of time, and that was the communication.”

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She said she described herself as a businesswoman and noted that her company’s logo features a Black woman.

“I gave them the name of my company. If you Google it, that’s what’s going to come up,” Stewart said.

After sending the information, Stewart said she never received a response.

“There was no communication. They let the clock run down. I sent a message asking if they’re going to allow me to book and got no response from that either,” she said.

Stewart said she later returned to the listing and noticed language describing the Dunwoody neighborhood.

“That’s where I saw that they said a peaceful white neighborhood, and I was like ok I missed that,” Stewart said.

Her attorney, civil rights lawyer Bataski Bailey, said the description and the alleged denial of Stewart’s booking raise concerns about racial discrimination.

“You can’t describe something as peaceful and white and then act in a way that signifies you intend to keep it that way,” Bailey said.

The lawsuit names Airbnb, the host and the property’s owner as defendants.

Bailey said Airbnb didn’t remove the posting in a timely manner.

“Our first course of business was to send a demand letter, saying, ‘Hey, this is what happened. The posting is still there; please investigate that.’ And unfortunately, even after that letter was sent, the ad remained up there for quite some time,” Bailey said. “It was nearly a year that this ad remained up even after they were notified by my client immediately after the incident happened.

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Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers called the phone number listed for George Shihfang, who is named in the lawsuit and is listed as the property owner. The person who answered the phone said he did not know what Rogers was referring to and claimed the property was never listed on Airbnb, despite a listing identified in the lawsuit.

In a statement to Channel 2 Action News, Airbnb said, “Discrimination has no place on Airbnb, and we removed the host from the platform.”

Bailey wants Airbnb to implement new technology to keep similar incidents from happening.

“Airbnb has a duty and responsibility to make sure the information that’s coming onto their platform that they’re advertising to the entire globe is not discriminatory,” Bailey said.

Stewart said she hopes her lawsuit will prevent others from experiencing similar treatment.

“Something like that, I feel like you need to face consequences and shed light on it, so that it doesn’t happen again,” Stewart said. “I feel like it shouldn’t be brushed off. Airbnb shouldn’t allow it, and the person who posted it should know better.”

Stewart’s attorney said the next step in the case is seeking a subpoena for records to identify everyone responsible for the listing. He said the hosts used pseudonyms on the platform, and he wants to ensure everyone involved is held accountable. Bailey said he intends to pursue a jury trial.

Stewart said she ultimately stayed with a friend instead of renting the property and has not used Airbnb since the incident.