Woman denied job as bikini-clad barmaid sues

A woman who wanted a job as a bikini-clad barmaid at a New York City eatery said managers rejected her because she has a "Latin accent."

Melody Morales sued seeking unspecified damages and saying she applied 15 times for a job at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone restaurant and bar. She said managers always denied there were any openings even though other employees said there were.

Her lawsuit said one manager told her that her "Latin accent" would ruin his business. She said  another told her "You don't speak white."

Morales said she was born in New York to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents. And she said she looks good in a bikini.

A Hawaiian Tropic Zone spokesman, Patrick M. Smith, issued a statement saying Morales' lawsuit was baseless.