A white executive has sued Expedia, saying the travel website offered him $650,000 to run a division, but he backtracked and gave his job to a “safer” candidate: a black woman.
Michael Kascsak, 49, a married father of one from Austin, Texas, says Expedia made him turn things around for months before turning him into America’s latest victim of reverse racism.
Expedia told him they had instead chosen “diversity” tenant Bernita Dillard, who is now the company’s San Francisco-based head of talent integration, he says.
Kascsak mainly blames Michael Velasco, Expedia’s Brooklyn-based head of diversity, for intervening and pushing for a woman of a different skin color.
Gene Hamilton, an attorney with America First Legal (AFL), the activist group that joined the lawsuit on Monday, said Kascsak suffered discrimination.
Michael Kascsak, 49, of Austin, Texas, says Expedia gave him months before opting for a “diversity” rental.
The company instead promoted an internal candidate, San Francisco-based Bernita Dillard, who previously worked at DoorDash, Facebook and Google.
Americans should be “treated equally and judged on merit – and not arbitrarily discriminated against because of their race,” he added.
It is the latest in a series of lawsuits targeting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in corporate America.
Advocates of DEI say it helps get more women and minorities into colleges and workplaces, but critics say it ultimately hurts straight, white men.
Kascsak’s 35-page document was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.
He says he has suffered ‘enormous damage’ and is demanding a jury trial, damages and coverage for his legal costs.
The $13 billion-a-year Seattle-based travel and technology company did not respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
On its website, Expedia says it is “dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, disability” and other characteristics.
According to the lawsuit, Expedia contacted Kascsak in April 2023 to become their global talent chief.
The family’s breadwinner has “exceptional qualifications” after working at Bank of America, Capital One and PayPal, the papers show.
After several interviews, Kascsak was told he was the “frontrunner” and their “top pick,” he says.
He was verbally offered the job in mid-May – with an annual salary of $330,000, $225,000 in Expedia stock and a $100,000 cash signing bonus.
Kascsak is particularly angry with Michael Velasco, Expedia’s head of diversity in Brooklyn, for allegedly pushing him aside for a diversity hire
The $13 billion-a-year Seattle-based travel and technology company has an aggressive DEI policy
Weeks later, however, Kascsak was told about a “reorganization” and how Expedia was taking a “different direction with the role,” the papers show.
In June, Kascsak heard through LinkedIn posts that Expedia was looking for alternatives.
He later learned that the company’s DEI czar Velasco had intervened to “exclude” Kascsak from the contract.
The company even arranged for Kascsak to meet Velasco about the job in New York, but Velasco backed out at the last minute.
Velasco and company wanted to take a “safer direction” and get a more “diverse” candidate, it is claimed.
Expedia ultimately promoted an internal candidate, Dillard, their director of diversity sourcing.
Dillard’s LinkedIn profile shows that she also has an impressive resume, with experience at DoorDash, Facebook and Google.
The lawsuit highlights how Expedia has pushed its diversity hiring goals for years.
The company aimed for half of its workforce to be women and a quarter to be from racial minorities by 2022.
Michael Kascsak has “exceptional qualifications” after working at Bank of America, Capital One and PayPal, the filings show.
CEO Peter Kern once described “systemic racism” as a “plague” that “we must all be part of the solution,” the complaint says.
Expedia recruiters even get bonuses for meeting diversity goals, the papers say.
“An anti-discrimination law exists to ensure that the most deserving people are hired, like Kascsak here,” the complaint says.
“That doesn’t always happen, but it doesn’t allow companies like Expedia to illegally punish civil rights laws by elevating some candidates and harming others based on immutable traits.”
The case is part of a growing number of lawsuits and filings against DEI practices since the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling in June 2023 to end affirmative action in college admissions.
AFL, which is led by former President Donald Trump adviser Stephen Miller, has filed more than 15 lawsuits and more than 30 complaints with a US civil rights agency.
Lawsuits have alleged that hiring and recruitment decisions surrounding both jobs and fellowships at major companies are biased against white employees.
Advocates of DEI programs say they bring more Black, brown, female and queer talent to offices and colleges and boost morale across the board.
But critics say it’s a “woke” virtue-signalling exercise that promotes discrimination against straight, white men.