You can pursue a civil rights lawsuit for discrimination in public accommodations.
The Minnesota Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in public accommodations. That includes discrimination in restaurants, stores, bars, and clubs – anything that is open to the public. In fact, it even prohibits discrimination in public services, which includes deliveries to your house. And – this includes interactions with police officers.
So, for example, if you feel that were racially profiled and followed around while shopping for no reason other than your race, you might have a case. If you were sexually harassed or assaulted by an employee or service provider, you might have a case for gender discrimination in public accommodations. If an employee or service provider made comments to you based on your race, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability, you might also have a case for discrimination in public accommodations.
For a legal consultation with a public accommodations lawyer serving Minneapolis, call 612-349-2729
Case Example: Madia Law Settles Public Accommodations Discrimination Lawsuit at Mall of America for $150,000.
Bloomington police officers on duty at the Mall of America thought that Michael Jointer, an African American male, was someone else. They thought that he was another African American male named Leon Combs, who was on trespass at the mall. So they stopped Jointer and asked for his ID.
Jointer immediately produced his drivers license, that quickly and conclusively established that he was not the (black) man the officers were seeking. Yet, they nonetheless continued to detain and harass him. First, they ran warrant checks on him. When those came back clean, the officers searched Jointer’s shopping bags. After they failed to find any evidence of wrongdoing, they asked for his receipts. Jointer produced his receipts, which matched the merchandise in his bags. That still wasn’t good enough for them. They took Jointer’s bags and ordered him to follow them back into the store he just exited so they could verify his purchases with the store clerk. The clerk told the officers that Jointer’s purchases were legitimate. Finally – over 6 minutes after they first stopped Jointer – the officers released him on his way.
Jointer filed suit for public accommodations discrimination under the Minnesota Human Rights Act. The MHRA prohibits racially discriminatory conduct by police officers, and racial discrimination in places of public accommodation, like stores, malls, and other places open to the public.
The Bloomington Police Department settled Jointer’s case for $150,000.
Jointer is a brave man, and we were honored to represent him.
Minneapolis Public Accommodations Lawyer Near Me 612-349-2729
Contact Our Minnesota Public Accommodations Discrimination Lawyers Today.
First, contact our office, and tell us about your situation. You’ll talk with our staff for about 5-10 minutes. They’ll get some basic information about you and your case.
We will get back to you shortly – usually within a few hours. If your potential case is a little outside of our wheelhouse, we may refer you to attorneys, agencies, or organizations that we think might be better suited to handle your situation. Our goal is to ensure you get the best and most appropriate help possible for your particular situation. If that’s not us, we’ll try to tell you immediately and point you in the right direction.
If we think that we might be able help you, we’ll set an appointment for you to talk with one of our civil rights lawyers. We’ll discuss your case, and give you our honest assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, and value. If we then mutually agree that Madia Law will represent you, we will talk about the process of moving forward with your case.
Call 612-349-2729 or complete a Case Evaluation form
