- An NYC hotel banned a wealthy teenager after he kept trying to buy alcohol while underage.
- He started picketing outside, with signs accusing the hotel of Holocaust denial, it said.
An exclusive Manhattan hotel is suing a wealthy teenager who protested with signs accusing it of Holocaust denial after he repeatedly tried and failed to get served alcohol while underage, according to a new lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges that Theodore Weintraub, then 17, tried multiple times in 2021 to get served alcohol while underage using a fake ID at The Mark Hotel in the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Weintraub's repeated efforts to be served alcohol led to his designation as a "disturbance," resulting in a ban from the hotel, the lawsuit said. Despite this, he continued to visit, it said.
On one occasion, Weintraub was stopped from taking his seat after he arrived with his family for a dinner reservation, according to the lawsuit.
At first, he begged for forgiveness, but when the hotel insisted on enforcing the ban, Weintraub leveled accusations of antisemitism and spitting in people's food against it, the lawsuit said.
The dispute then seemed to be over, with Weintraub seemingly not visiting or making contact with The Mark for two years. But this summer, the hotel alleged in the lawsuit, Weintraub launched an "increasingly disturbing campaign" against it.
According to the lawsuit, Weintraub began picketing outside of the hotel with antagonistic signs, alongside another man, identified only as John Doe, who the lawsuit alleges was paid by Weintraub.
The signs made accusations such as "The Mark Supports Epstein" and "The Mark Denies the Holocaust." Protesters also allegedly made claims about the hotel having mice, according to the pop-culture podcast The Toast.
Although Jeffrey Epstein lived near The Mark Hotel, and it does appear in his "little black book," there is no evidence to suggest that it in any way supports him, Patch.com reported.
The Mark Hotel is favored by celebrities like Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Anna Wintour, and Cara Delevingne, and offers rooms starting from $1,095 a night.
In an affidavit, the hotel's manager, Etienne Haro, said: "This allegation is made up of whole cloth and, indeed, based upon a review of our records, it appears that Jeffrey Epstein was never even a guest at our hotel."
There is also no evidence that the hotel denies the Holocaust. The manager said in his affidavit that the hotel has Jewish ownership and that it recognizes the existence of "one of the most horrific events in history."
According to the lawsuit, Weintraub, along with John Doe, repeatedly shouted at both hotel staff and guests, and even subjected VIP visitors to harassment.
Patch.com identified one of the guests referenced but not named in the lawsuit as Drake.
According to the lawsuit, representatives of the Jewish rapper complained to hotel management about people outside The Mark yelling about Holocaust denial.
The situation escalated the following day, July 18, when a protester got into a punch-up with the celebrity's fans, the lawsuit said.
The hotel said in the lawsuit that the protests were becoming "increasingly systemic," causing near-nightly disruption to the hotel and its guests.
The disruption led to The Mark Hotel filing a lawsuit against Weintraub for tortious interference with prospective business relations, libel, slander, and private nuisance late last month.
Last week a restraining order was granted that prevents Weintraub or anyone acting on his behalf from picketing within 150 feet of the hotel.
Weintraub was not able to be reached for comment. The Mark Hotel declined to comment.