MIAMI – A woman claims a luxury hotel company failed to disclose it was in the process of being sold and that her position was likely to be eliminated after the sale.
Lisa Kehayias filed a complaint in federal court against Luxury Hotels International of Puerto Rico Inc. and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company citing allegations of breach of contract, unpaid wages, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraudulent inducement and fraudulent concealment.
According to court documents, the Ritz-Carlton began recruiting Kehayias in late 2021 to join the company, making representations about growth opportunities and job security. Kehayias claims after leaving her steady-paying position to accept a position with the defendant as Multi-Property Director of Sales, it was not disclosed to Kehayias the Puerto Rican resort was in the process of being sold and her position would likely be eliminated. Had she known these facts, she says she would have stayed with her previous employer.
Kehayias says the resort was sold in March 2022. The next month, she was informed that her position was being eliminated. She was terminated from the company on May 13, 2022.
During her short time with the company, Kehayias says she had completed more than a dozen sales, some in excess of $1 million. She claims the defendants have failed to fully compensate her for these sales and still owe her more than $100,000 in sales commissions. Furthermore, she claims the defendants improperly have deducted Puerto Rican taxes from her paychecks despite her having never worked in Puerto Rico.
Kehayias is seeking damages plus interest, court costs, attorney fee and other relief.
She is being represented by Benjamin H. Yormak of Yormak Employment & Disability Law in Bonita Springs.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida case number 1:23-cv-24270