Meek Mill to Sue Las Vegas Hotel for Racism
Meek Mill is planning to sue The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas after they banned him from the hotel and threatened to arrest him over Memorial Day weekend.
According to TMZ, Meek’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, will ask for “heavy monetary damages” for “lying and humiliating Meek,” and intends to launch a legal assault. “I’m going to take this place down because of what they did,” he said.
Tacopina claims that The Cosmopolitan is among a group of Las Vegas hotels that maintains a list of black rappers who are banned. The hotel has denied the claim, but Tacopina says two other rappers, Yo Gotti and BlocBoy JB, have been refused from Vegas hotels because of their race and occupation.
Meek was at the hotel on Saturday (May 25) for a Mustard concert at Marquee nightclub. Upon his arrival, security stopped him and ordered him to leave, saying that he would be arrested for trespassing if he entered.
“At this time, with the information we have, we’re refusing to do business with you. We have a right to do that,” said the hotel’s security officer.
The cosmopolitan hotel …. and it’s a few other hotels that be doing this to black entertainers because they don’t want too many blacks on they property! Vegas notorious for this too its not just me!!!! pic.twitter.com/HPySp2nh8h
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) May 25, 2019
Arrested for what????? #Cosmopolitanvegss pic.twitter.com/5OvmGBrXKv
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) May 26, 2019
The hotel later said they wouldn’t let Meek in because Marquee was at capacity and they had informed him of this before he left for the hotel. However, the security guard in the video says that they denied him because of a prior incident. Tacopina says the Cosmo is scrambling by coming up with two different versions of events, both of which he claims are lies.
Meek filmed the encounter and called out the hotel for their “racist” actions. “If you come from our culture you should never step foot in the cosmopolitan hotel they just really racist as hell …. something really has to be done in Las Vegas what they doing to black people!” he tweeted.
“They telling black rappers they are banned from properties they own without incident … they just told me I was trespassing and I will be arrested I stepped in that hotel once at a jayz party without incident!”
Meek will allege racial discrimination under state and federal law as well as defamation in his lawsuit.
If you come from our culture you should never step foot in the cosmopolitan hotel they just really racist as hell …. something really has to be done in Las Vegas what they doing to black people!
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) May 25, 2019
They telling black rappers they are banned from properties they own without incident … they just told me I was trespassing and I will be arrested I stepped in that hotel once at a jayz party without incident!
— Meek Mill (@MeekMill) May 25, 2019
UPDATE: The Cosmopolitan has issued a public apology to Meek via Twitter.
“We apologize to Meek Mill for how we handled the situation on Saturday, May 25, as we did not act in a respectful manner and were wrong,” the Las Vegas hotel said in a statement. “Meek Mill has not had any prior incidents on our property. The Cosmopolitan has zero tolerance for discrimination and we pride ourselves on providing an inclusive environment. We look forward to welcoming Meek Mill back to the resort.”
Meek has accepted The Cosmopolitan’s apology. His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, tells TMZ, “We appreciate The Cosmopolitan’s apology and will no longer pursue legal recourse at this time.”
— The Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan_LV) May 31, 2019