State of California NAACP President, Alice Hoffman
Civil Rights Attorney Mark T. Harris sues Sofitel Hotel in Redwood City on behalf of 127 NAACP members who became violently ill at the 2014 State Convention Banquet.
Oakland CA—Attorney Mark T. Harris held a press conference Tuesday at the Law Offices of John Burris announcing the filing a lawsuit against Sofitel Corporation on behalf of 127 NAACP members including the statewide president Alice Hoffman.
The suit alleges that they suffered food poisoning from the nirovirus after eating salmon served by the hotel at the NAACP’s gala dinner on October 25, 2014.
In a stomach-churning scene, over 50 of 300 well dressed people who attended the gala NAACP banquet were violently struck by the nirovirus and in a scene out of a horror movie began throwing up all over the hotel lobby after dining on salmon and salad.
Among in attendance that evening was former mayor of San Francisco Willie Brown who did not eat and former mayor of Oakland Elihu Harris who was transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment along with 11 other guests who succumbed to the mystery malady including children, among them a 5-year-old girl.
Attorney Mark T. Harris said, “The San Mateo Health Department issued a report that would appear to fix fault on Sofitel noting that the water temperature at the time of the outbreak of norovirus was below that required to kill the virus on the hand son food service employees.” Harris also noted that those that did not eat the salmon were not affected.
Alice Hoffman, President of California-Hawaii Conference of the NAACP observed many of people writhing in pain in the hotel lobby.
She was particularly disturbed that “Sofitel employees and managers were dismissive and inattentive,” she said, especially toward the sick who were all African Americans.
She also said, “There was neither humanity nor human decency on the part of Sofitel management. Not a compassionate word was uttered to the food poisoning victims nor a blanket or glass of water offered.”
The lawsuit also alleges that an infected person handling food can spread the norovirus among other ways. The suit also alleges that there have been other outbreaks of the Nirovirus before this event.
Hoffman and NAACP members were present at the press conference along with other member victims.
Contact: Ms. Estefani Avilla at (562) 677-5899 for more information.