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An Upper East Side luxury hotel frequented by A-list celebrities is suing Theodore Weintraub, who allegedly paid protesters to verbally attack the hotel after he was denied alcohol service while underage in 2019. The wild story and resulting lawsuit were first reported by Patch.
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An employee of The Mark Hotel (25 East 77th Street) told the publication that wide-ranging accusations from protesters included claims that The Mark denies the Holocaust, helped Jeffery Epstein, and has mice. Specific hotel employees were also verbally abused. Protesters reportedly say they were paid $25 an hour for their efforts.
“It’s been crazy just because they’ve been attacking us on a personal level,” said a hotel worker, citing insults like “pedophiles” and “[your] mother is a prostitute” from the lawsuit.
Weintraub was allegedly banned from The Mark after making multiple attempts to purchase drinks and having displayed a fake ID.
“With every passing failed attempt, Weintraub became increasingly aggressive with those refusing to serve him,” the lawsuit states. Weintraub reportedly avoided the hotel after the 2019 incident, but began verbally attacking the staff alongside protesters earlier this summer. This led to a series of recent incidents that included Weintraub and a group getting kicked out of the hotel after disrupting hotel workers while they prepared for a celebrity’s arrival, a fan punching a protester, and hotel staff spotting Weintraub outside the property in a Cadillac observing the protesters he allegedly hired.
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The hotel is seeking damages and a restraining order against Weintraub, who appears to be the son of NYU Langone cardiologist Dr. Phillip Weintraub.
Protester chants can be heard in a video of the popular musician Drake leaving the hotel in July. A popular spot for celebrities when in Manhattan, the five-star hotel is also known for a pre-Met Gala red carpet affair where attendees debut their looks before the main event.
