NEW YORK CITY: Jury Awards $500K To Hotel Manager Over HIV Discrimination

A jury has awarded over $500K to a Manhattan man who filed an HIV discrimination lawsuit after being fired by a midtown hotel.

A Manhattan Federal Court jury awarded Antonio Muñoz the stunning payout three years after he was abruptly terminated by the Manhattan Club, a boutique hotel and timeshare on W. 56th St. The 50-year-old Inwood man said he’s “ecstatic” over the verdict, but the money was never the point. “At least I know that I was able to tell my story,” Muñoz told the Daily News. “I’m working now. I can move on with my life. I did this because I was wronged.” Muñoz was initially thrilled with his new job after he started working there in October 2007. The assistant office manager was awarded two raises and received an “Exemplary Manager Award” in 2008, the suit says. After being diagnosed with HIV that same year, he asked to be taken off the night shift. Muñoz explained to a supervisor that he was being treated for a chronic condition that required him to take a medication at night that causes drowsiness, his lawsuit says. His supervisor denied the request. Even after he produced a doctor’s note, his supervisor not only turned him down, she suggested that he quit, the suit says.

Muñoz is a JMG reader.