ST. LOUIS -- Adam's Mark Hotels & Resorts reached a settlement
with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP), bringing an end to discrimination lawsuits stemming from a
1999 Black College Reunion in Daytona, Fla., and a boycott by the
NAACP.
A related lawsuit filed by the Florida attorney general also was
settled.
Adam's Mark's financial obligations include payments of $1
million to the plaintiffs -- $400,000 to a settlement fund to be
distributed by the state of Florida and $600,000 to four
historically black colleges -- Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman,
Edward Waters, and Florida Memorial.
In a statement, Adam's Mark said the firm consistently has
maintained that it did not discriminate against guests at the
event, but that "a settlement, rather than continued litigation,
would be in the best interests of the hotel chain, its employees
and guests."
Adam's Mark, a subsidiary of St. Louis-based HBE Corp., has 24
hotels nationwide.