The government has filed a discrimination lawsuit against the owners of a Best Western hotel in northern Virginia, alleging that they would only hire Hispanic maids.

The Equal Employment Opportunities Commission filed the suit Wednesday in federal court on behalf of three women who lost their jobs at the Mount Vernon Best Western in April 2007. All three women are non-Hispanic.

The suit alleges that a new owner, Mount Vernon Holdings, LLC, bought the hotel in 2007. Employees were required to reapply for their jobs, and the lawsuit alleges that only Hispanics were hired for housekeeping positions.

A manager at the hotel hung up the phone when asked about the lawsuit.

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