Walk It Through: Turned Away at the Counter
A restaurant that will not seat a group, a sign in the window, and a complaint to the commission.
A restaurant host refuses to seat a group, saying the owner does not serve people of their religion.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
A refusal of service at a restaurant. A private club, a religious institution's qualifications, and a federal public accommodations suit are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Release to sueThe commission's permission to take a civil rights complaint to district court, which may be requested once the complaint has been on file 60 days.
- Public accommodationA business or place offering accommodations, facilities or services to the public, which may not refuse anyone because of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion or disability.