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A cinema manager was not being racist when he told a largely black audience to silence their cell phones and be quiet, Delaware's Supreme Court has ruled.
The court has overturned a judgment by the state's Human Relations Commission that 23 black cinema goers should each be awarded $1,500 for being told to be quiet by David Stewart.
Carmike 14 Theatre, in Dover, was told to make the payouts after 'insulting, humiliating and demeaning' patrons during a showing of the Tyler Perry movie Why Did I Get Married? in October 2007.
Popular: Tyler Perry with Janet Jackson in the movie Why Did I Get Married? which was being shown at the cinema in Dover, Delaware, when the manager asked the audience to be quiet
The movie theatre was sold-out and was showing the film on three different screens at the same time.
Mr Stewart, who is white, made the plea to keep the noise down before the screening in the main, largest theatre.
He was then followed out of the theatre by a patron, who told him his comments did not go down well.
Mr Stewart went back, explained that he didn't mean to offend anyone, but he had to make the announcement per the policy of the owner, Carmike Cinemas.
Juana Fuentes-Bowles, the director of Delaware’s Human Relations Division at the time, was in the audience and stood up and told the crowd that his remarks were racist.
She did not announce her title but afterwards she collected names and phone numbers of patrons who were offended.
An employee of her department then called patrons and organised a meeting, after which a complaint was drafted.
Delaware’s Human Relations Division website says its mission is to 'ensure equal opportunity for all people' by protecting against practices that discriminate based on race and color.
Based on that, the committee ruled that Mr Stewart’s conduct violated the state’s equal accommodation law and that each of the complainants should get $1,500 in damages. It also ruled that the cinema should be fined an additional $5,000 and be ordered to pay a'' the legal costs involved, bringing the total cost to nearly $80,000.
However the Delaware Supreme Court decided that the announcement did not contain any racist language and that no specific group was singled out.
The policy of telling customers to be quiet has since been discontinued
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-payout-black-cinema-goers.html#ixzz1FZAR9TeK
The court has overturned a judgment by the state's Human Relations Commission that 23 black cinema goers should each be awarded $1,500 for being told to be quiet by David Stewart.
Carmike 14 Theatre, in Dover, was told to make the payouts after 'insulting, humiliating and demeaning' patrons during a showing of the Tyler Perry movie Why Did I Get Married? in October 2007.
Popular: Tyler Perry with Janet Jackson in the movie Why Did I Get Married? which was being shown at the cinema in Dover, Delaware, when the manager asked the audience to be quiet
The movie theatre was sold-out and was showing the film on three different screens at the same time.
Mr Stewart, who is white, made the plea to keep the noise down before the screening in the main, largest theatre.
He was then followed out of the theatre by a patron, who told him his comments did not go down well.
Mr Stewart went back, explained that he didn't mean to offend anyone, but he had to make the announcement per the policy of the owner, Carmike Cinemas.
Juana Fuentes-Bowles, the director of Delaware’s Human Relations Division at the time, was in the audience and stood up and told the crowd that his remarks were racist.
She did not announce her title but afterwards she collected names and phone numbers of patrons who were offended.
An employee of her department then called patrons and organised a meeting, after which a complaint was drafted.
Delaware’s Human Relations Division website says its mission is to 'ensure equal opportunity for all people' by protecting against practices that discriminate based on race and color.
Based on that, the committee ruled that Mr Stewart’s conduct violated the state’s equal accommodation law and that each of the complainants should get $1,500 in damages. It also ruled that the cinema should be fined an additional $5,000 and be ordered to pay a'' the legal costs involved, bringing the total cost to nearly $80,000.
However the Delaware Supreme Court decided that the announcement did not contain any racist language and that no specific group was singled out.
The policy of telling customers to be quiet has since been discontinued
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-payout-black-cinema-goers.html#ixzz1FZAR9TeK
