A press conference was held by the Charleston Place Hotel Monday to respond to allegations of a worker being fired for complaining about a hate crime. John Green, who is black, said his white manager placed a noose around his neck while he was working an event at Boone Hall Plantation.  Green said he was fired a month later after complaining to hotel managers.  The hotel manager said he had not seen any complaint and that Green was fired for violating company rules.

Hotel officials say they did fire Dan McCarragher, the man accused of placing a noose around Greens neck. McCarragher had been employed by the hotel 13 years.  The hotel says McCarragher was terminated within two hours of finding out.

But they deny Green's claim that he was fired for complaining about the incident. The hotel says he was fired for "gross misconduct" and it was at the time of his termination, they say, he brought up the noose incident he says occured five weeks prior.  Green was fired on November 21. The hotel would not go into detail about the nature of the "gross misconduct".