Upscale Hotel Sues Rejected Underage Drinker Who Orchestrated Months-Long Smear Campaign

A daytime view of the atrium entrance to The Mark Hotel, NYC. (Photo: The Mark)

NYC’s The Mark Hotel is suing a 19-year-old for libel and slander after he launched an elaborate smear campaign accusing the establishment of Holocaust denial and “supporting Jeffrey Epstein.”

The bizarre saga can be traced back to 2021 when Theodore Weintraub, then 17, allegedly tried and failed to use a fake ID to order alcohol at the hotel bar. According to the lawsuit, Weintraub became “increasingly aggressive” as he returned again and again attempting to order drinks. During one encounter, he reportedly spit in a customer’s food.

The Mark — a 5-star hotel that regularly houses celebrity guests like Gigi Hadid, Meghan Markle and Angelina Jolie— says that two years passed without contact from Weintraub. It appeared that the feud was over.

In June, the lawsuit claims that Weintraub returned alongside at least six paid protestors holding signs like “The Mark Supports [Jeffrey] Epstein,” “The Mark Denies the Holocaust” and “The Mark Spreads Disease.” Hotel staff told Patch News that Weintraub was spotted sitting across the street in a parked Cadillac, smirking at the chaos.

The protests lasted through the end of July. In several instances, The Mark claims that demonstrations were timed to coincide with the arrival and departure of high-profile guests. One such incident was captured on camera on July 17th, when a protestor shouted “The Mark Helped Esptein” as Drake left the hotel.

According to the lawsuit, representatives of an unnamed Jewish rapper made complaints to hotel management about the persistent antisemitism and Holocaust denial chants. Reportedly, a protestor got into a fistfight with one of the rapper’s fans outside the hotel on July 18th.

“[Weintraub’s] behavior is now a regular and malicious disturbance outside the Mark Hotel, affecting the hotel’s ability to properly service its guests,” states the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last week.

“The Mark does not deny the holocaust, has ownership of Jewish heritage, did not support or help Jeffrey Epstein, and [the defamation] was uttered for the sole purpose not of public discourse but a private vendetta against the Mark Hotel for refusing to serve alcohol to Weintraub when he was underaged.”

The Mark is currently suing Weintraub for tortious interference with prospective business relations, libel, slander and private nuisance. In addition, it’s been granted a restraining order of 150 feet against Weintraub and anyone acting on his behalf.

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