Latest news with #Y'MineMcClanahan
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Yahoo
Black Woman Was Refused Service Over ‘Revealing' Outfit. Now She's Suing Restaurant Alleging Discrimination
In a complaint, Y'Mine McClanahan claimed that Stab's Prime Steak and Seafood asked her to leave the restaurant due to the dress she wore McClanahan, who is Black, claimed the restaurant's white patrons and employees were dressed less appropriately than her during the 2024 incident "I left feeling kind of mortified, violated, ashamed and really humiliated because I had never had something happen like this to me as a working professional," she said, per the complaint A Black woman who alleged that she was refused service at a Baton Rouge, La., restaurant over a 'dress code violation' last year is now suing the establishment for discrimination. In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on Friday, April 18 and reviewed by PEOPLE, Y'Mine McClanahan claimed that on July 23, 2024, Stab's Prime Steak and Seafood asked her to leave over the purported violation — even though the restaurant's white patrons and employees were dressed in similar fashion. 'I feel absolutely violated,' McClanahan told Fox affiliate WGMB about the alleged incident. Related: Starbucks Is Cracking Down on Its Dress Code amid Recent Changes to Enhance 'Coffeehouse Experience' Per the outlet, McClanahan, who wore a floral outfit with a skirt and a crop top to the restaurant, alleged that she was approached by a Stab's manager before she was seated. 'And I'm like, 'Excuse me, like, what's wrong with what I have on?' And she's like, 'Well, it's just too revealing,' ' McClanahan recalled. McClanahan told the outlet that when she explained to the manager that she had previously worn the same outfit at the restaurant and never experienced an issue, the manager allegedly responded by saying, 'Well you can go to your car and put a jacket on or you can find somewhere else to eat.' In the complaint, McClanahan, who was the vice president of the Baton Rouge chapter of the NAACP at the time, was shocked by being refused service since the restaurant's white patrons and employees "were dressed similarly." Related: California Set to Become First-Ever State to Ban Discrimination of Natural Hairstyles Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. According to the restaurant's website, and cited in the complaint, Stab's dress policy stated 'business casual' and 'proper attire required.' It also asked patrons to not wear clothing items, such as gym wear, sweatpants and revealing clothing. 'Ms. McClanahan's outfit did not fall under any of the specifically banned items listed in the policy,' the complaint claimed while also citing photos of attire previously worn by Stab's patrons shared by the restaurant's social media account that McClanahan alleged was more revealing than what she wore. Per the complaint, McClanahan 'went to a nearby restaurant where she was not only served, but received several compliments on her outfit' after being refused service at Stab's. The alleged incident, according to the complaint, left her 'utterly humiliated by this act of discrimination,' while also claiming that "to be publicly discriminated against... was illegal." Related: 'See-Through' Clothing and 'Offensive' Tattoos May Now Stop You Flying on Spirit Airlines — Here's Why is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! 'As she explained to WAFB News who interviewed her about the incident: 'I left feeling kind of mortified, violated, ashamed and really humiliated because I had never had something happen like this to me as a working professional. You feel alienated and it's like well what's wrong with me. What's the problem with me?' ' the complaint continued. McClanahan has accused Stab's of a civil rights violation, discrimination and negligence. The complaint added that she is seeking a trial by jury and compensatory damages. In a statement to PEOPLE, McClanahan's attorneys said their client "decided to bring this lawsuit to ensure that selective enforcement of dress code policy and other forms of discrimination are not tolerated in restaurants and other public places." PEOPLE also reached out to Stab's on Thursday, April 24, about the lawsuit. In a statement shared with WGMB last year shortly after the alleged incident, the restaurant wrote. 'We have a dress code policy that we ask our customers to observe. A few times a month we speak with our guests about their attire, including asking them to remove baseball hats in our restaurant.' 'Contrary to reports, our attire policy is not new, it has been in effect for over three years now,' the restaurant continued. 'We spoke with a guest yesterday about her attire and she pointed out that we have waitstaff dressed in a manner that might not meet the standard of our attire policy. For the last several weeks we have actually been working on a different uniform, so that we are not asking a different standard for our customers than we are requiring of our staff.' Read the original article on People
Miami Herald
23-04-2025
- Miami Herald
‘Too revealing.' Louisiana restaurant refuses to serve woman over outfit, suit says
A Louisiana woman is suing what used to be one of her favorite restaurants, saying she was refused service over an outfit she wore to the eatery in July. But she had on the same two-piece outfit — a floral strapless top and matching ankle-length skirt — when she dined at Stab's Prime Steak and Seafood in Baton Rouge two weeks earlier, according to her lawsuit filed April 18 in federal court. The venue is one of two Stab's locations in Baton Rouge. Y'Mine McClanahan still feels 'humiliated and ashamed' from when the steak house's co-owner publicly turned her away, telling her that her outfit was 'too revealing' on July 23, the complaint says. She was told by the co-owner that her outfit went against the Stab's 'business casual' dress code, according to the complaint. Part of the exchange was filmed by McClanahan, her attorneys wrote in the filing. At the time, McClanahan, a nurse who lives in Baton Rouge, was the vice president of the NAACP's local Baton Rouge chapter and had regularly dined at Stab's. Now she's an executive committee member of the Baton Rouge NAACP, her attorney said. McClanahan, who's Black, accuses the restaurant of having discriminatory, double standards in favor of white patrons when it comes to dress code enforcement because, according to her lawsuit, white patrons and employees have worn 'less appropriate attire.' Stab's didn't immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment April 23. McClanahan is represented by attorneys William Most and David Lanser, of Most & Associates in New Orleans. 'Ms. McClanahan decided to bring this lawsuit to ensure that selective enforcement of dress code policy and other forms of discrimination are not tolerated in restaurants and other public places,' Lanser said in an emailed statement to McClatchy News on April 23. McClanahan's lawsuit argues that white patrons and employees wore similar or 'even more revealing attire,' and were still seated by Stab's. The filing shows eight photos as examples, including five images of customers from the restaurant's social media page, according to McClanahan's attorneys. In one photo of an employee, a still image from a video McClanahan had recorded, a server is seen 'wearing fishnets and short-shorts,' the complaint says. McClanahan ultimately left Stab's and visited a different Baton Rouge restaurant, where she had a more positive experience following the 'extremely humiliating' denial of service on July 23, according to her lawsuit. At the restaurant, her attorneys wrote 'she was not only served, but received several compliments on her outfit.' Lawsuit asks for a jury trial McClanahan asks for a jury trial with her lawsuit and also seeks relief, a declaratory judgment and an unspecified amount in damages. She's suing Stab's on three causes of action: violations of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that prohibits discrimination in public locations, violations of Louisiana state law and negligence. 'Stab's committed negligence in its failure to apply the dress code in an equitable and non-discriminatory fashion,' the lawsuit says.
