Law firm Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt has filed a lawsuit against Rosenthal Estate Wines on the grounds of racial discrimination on Sept. 21, according to a release provided by the firm. According to allegations, two women—Jonnae Thompson and Marilyn Mercado—were forced to leave the pool and later, security threatened Thompson with arrest for trespassing.
On Aug. 27, Thompson attended a members’ social as a guest of Mercado, a member at the estate. Allegedly, the manager of the estate asked them to leave the pool immediately. Later, the two witnessed two white women sitting at the pool for some time.
According to a statement emailed from the law firm, a manager and four white, male employees asked Mercado and Thompson, a black woman, if they had accused the manager of “being a racist.” A man with a camera approached Thompson with the camera, allegedly claiming that “he was recording her because she was being arrested for trespassing.”
The two were able to leave the social soon after the altercation.
Rosenthal Estate Wines was not available for comment by the time The Malibu Times went to print.