A class action lawsuit was filed in federal court Monday afternoon against The Cordish Companies, the Baltimore-based developer who owns and operates the Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City.
It follows a suit filed less than two weeks ago by Glen Cusimano, who claims he was wrongfully terminated for failing to enforce what he alleges was a pattern of racial discrimination
In Monday's filing, two African-American men, whose names have not been released, claim they were deliberately kept out of clubs in the district because of their race. Linda Dickens, the lawyer representing them, says both men are professionals who did not violate any of the district’s dress code or behavior rules.
In a Monday afternoon statement, The Cordish Companies said both cases were "baseless."
Zed Smith, Cordish's director of asset management in Baltimore, went on to say:
"(Cordish) has multiple layers of independent third-party security in the District, including the Kansas City Police Department, First Response and NPB, which is an African-American owned-and-operated firm, and we all work collaboratively to ensure that the guest experience is excellent for all our customers. We take pride in our customer service and the customer service of our tenants and we vigorously deny this trumped-up and meritless claim."
Regarding the Cusimano lawsuit, Cordish attorney Bob Fowler said the company had no choice but to fire Cusimano after he hit a man in handcuffs while police were trying to settle a dispute.
