Hilton Worldwide Inc.-owned Waldorf-Astoria obtains voluntary dismissal in class action brought by banquet waiters

Client(s) Hilton Worldwide Inc.

On behalf of Hilton Worldwide Inc.-owned Waldorf-Astoria, Jones Day obtained voluntary dismissal of a class action brought by banquet waiters at the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. The banquet waiters claimed they were owed gratuities that were misrepresented as service charges. Specifically, Plaintiffs claimed that The Waldorf Astoria, in communications with its customers, misrepresented that service charges, retained by the hotel, were in fact gratuities paid out to the servers. Plaintiffs alleged that, as a result, they were entitled to such service charges. In addition, Plaintiffs claimed that the hotel improperly retained special cash gratuities intended for banquet servers. Following informal discovery, Plaintiffs stipulated to the dismissal of their claims without prejudice.

Orlando Colon et al. v. Hilton Worldwide Inc., Case No. 10-CV-01575 (S.D.N.Y.)