Sizzler Anti-Gay Attack, Woman 'Kicked' and 'Shoved' Sues for $25,000
A Sizzler anti-gay attack earned a victim of discrimination $25,000 as ordered by a Queens, N.Y. Supreme Court judge. Liza Friedlander, a lesbian, was shoved, kicked, and called epithets, leading to a lawsuit.
The Sizzler anti-gay attack began when Friedlander and her friends were enjoying brunch Saturday at the Metropolitan Avenue restaurant in 2011. The manager, Edgar Orellana, accused her of not paying for her meal, and an altercation began. Friedlander claimed he shoved her in the chest, kicked her in the legs, and called her a "f------ dyke" and other slurs during the attack.
"My friends and I went in for Saturday brunch … but it turned into a nightmare. No one should have to go through that," the lesbian told the New York Daily News. She also told police that other patrons present joined in the fray, calling her a "he-she freak" and other foul names.
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Orellana disputed her account, however, claiming that he doesn't discriminate, and that she was an unruly customer from the moment he approached her.
"I'm Hispanic. I respect people of all ethnicities, races or sexuality," he said in Spanish. "I'm here to work, not hurt anyone."
The manager also said he never touched Friedlander, and insists that he was the one to call 911.
"We told her she could continue eating from the buffet. She tried to hit me with her plate. I jumped back," Orellana said. "A customer grabbed her so that she would not hit me. I didn't touch her. I went to my office and called 911. I did not come out again."
Friedlander sued the franchise, Waroge Met, Ltd.- a business partner of the restaurant- and Orellana for $25,000 with the help of Lambda Legal and her lawyer, Natalie Chin. The defendants did not want to go to trial and opted for a quicker judgment- a costly mistake, as an August 2010 bias crime law allows victims to sue in civil court.
Friedlander won, establishing that no one can be discriminated against because of gender, sexuality, or sex.
"Violent and discriminatory behavior motivated by bias against lesbians, gay men, bisexuals or transgender people will not be tolerated," stated Natalie Chin after the verdict was revealed recently. "Businesses are not exempt from treating LGBT people with dignity and respect."
