An Atlanta woman is accusing an Airbnb host of rejecting her booking after learning she’s Black. The federal lawsuit says the listing itself described the property as being in a “peaceful white neighborhood.” The complaint also names Airbnb, saying the company failed to stop the alleged discrimination, per Atlanta Black Star.

The lawsuit, filed May 29 in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, says Sharona Stewart was searching for a long-term rental in June 2024 when she requested a room in a six-bedroom home in Dunwoody, an affluent Atlanta suburb. According to the complaint, her messages with owner George Yu Shihfang and two other property managers were initially friendly and seemed headed toward approval.

Then, the lawsuit alleges, the tone changed after the hosts learned Stewart was Black through race-based questions. Her reservation was denied, and when she looked more closely at the listing, she saw the phrase “peaceful white neighborhood” in the neighborhood description, along with language describing the property as a private oasis with no neighbors around.

Stewart says she reported the listing to Airbnb and pointed out the discriminatory language; however, the platform did not remove the ad right away, according to the complaint. Her lawsuit accuses the defendants — the hosts as well as Airbnb — of violating federal and state fair housing and civil rights laws, and says the alleged discrimination caused emotional distress, humiliation, and a loss of housing opportunity.

Airbnb later stated, “Discrimination has no place on Airbnb,” and confirmed that it had removed the host from the platform.

This isn’t the first time the company has faced scrutiny over racial bias. In 2015, a study from the Harvard Business School found that guests with “African-American-sounding names” were about 10% more likely to be rejected by Airbnb hosts.

Although the platform has since implemented changes to counter bias, it remains an uphill battle. Prior lawsuits involving Black guests have also made headlines in recent years.