Another Polo Lounge Employee Testifies Ex-Boss Made 'Obscene' Comments

By BILL HETHERMAN
City News Service

A wine specialist at the Beverly Hills Hotel's Polo Lounge testified today that his former boss falsely accused him of being gay and made racist comments about his ancestry, including calling him a "dark leprechaun."

Nino O'Brien, who is Indian-Irish, also said that Micah Paloff told him in April 2011 that he was being fired, then later told him it was a practical joke for April Fool's Day.

O'Brien, former hotel sales director Tim Dupree and ex-Polo Lounge hostess Wendy Giron sued the hotel and former general manager Alberto del Hoyo, with Giron alleging sexual battery and the two men maintaining they were victims of discrimination. The trial of their lawsuit, filed in June 2011, is in its second week.

The Polo Lounge is considered one of the premier power dining spots in Southern California. Numerous films have been made there, including "The Way We Were," "American Gigolo" and "Hannah and Her Sisters."

O'Brien testified he began working for the hotel in May 2008 and that he is known for his ability to convince customers to buy higher priced wines than those they initially order, a technique he said is known as "upselling."

O'Brien said Polo Lounge guests typically are wealthy and have money to spend.

"I see their beautiful wallets and purses," he said.

Wines at the Beverly Hills Hotel range in price from $85 to $10,500 a bottle, he said. Wine sales in the Polo Lounge and other restaurants there total in the millions of dollars annually, he said.

O'Brien said that despite his sales successes and his contributions to the hotel's income, Paloff was jealous of him. He said Paloff -- who is no longer a defendant in the lawsuit -- made the "dark leprechaun" comment one year near St. Patrick's Day in reference to the plaintiff's half-Irish ancestry and skin color.

O'Brien said he is heterosexual, but Paloff thought he looked feminine and often made inappropriate remarks, including suggesting that a gay patron take O'Brien home with him.

One day when a gay regular customer who often spent large sums of money at the restaurant arrived, Paloff told O'Brien, "Oh, your lover is here," the plaintiff testified.

Many of Paloff's gay-related statements were obscene, O'Brien said.

"I was afraid to go to work on a daily basis," he said.

Paloff justified his statements by saying he was "just kidding," according to O'Brien, who said he sometimes made his own remarks about Paloff that he now regrets.

"I'm ashamed of those comments," O'Brien testified.

O'Brien also corroborated Giron's testimony when he said del Hoyo frequently touched Polo Lounge hostesses in an inappropriate way. He said the hostesses became concerned when they saw del Hoyo on the way.

"Oh my God, he's coming," the hostesses said, according to O'Brien.

O'Brien said he complained to the hotel's human resources department about the April Fool's Day joke, but received little satisfaction from the results. He said he eventually took a leave of absence.

"I was getting frustrated and my self-esteem was low," he said.

Del Hoyo retired from the hotel in 2011. Del Hoyo testified last week and denied any wrongdoing, saying he had built a strong reputation as a manager by working in hotels worldwide before coming to the Beverly Hills Hotel.