Businesses operating in California may find themselves being sued for practices without any prior notice. In particular, if a company in California has gender-based pricing policies, it may now be sued for civil rights violations even if the plaintiff has not previously demanded equal treatment and been refused. As the California Supreme Court itself acknowledged, this ruling may encourage “shake down” artists who seek out discriminatory pricing practices and try to extort settlements from businesses. The court, however, was willing to accept this possibility absent any change in the law being made by the legislature. In the meantime, a company doing business in California should be aware that it may be subject to suit for discrimination without prior notice.
This particular case arose out of a supper club’s practice of giving admission discounts to women. Angelucci and other plaintiffs filed a complaint against Century Supper Club for violations of the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Gender Tax Repeal Act of 1995. The plaintiffs alleged that they patronized the supper club on several occasions and were charged an admission fee higher than that charged to women. On some visits, men were charged $20 while women were admitted free. Plaintiffs sought statutory damages under Civil Code section 52(a) for discrimination. The supper club moved for judgment on the pleadings, contending that the plaintiffs could not recover under section 52(a) because they had not alleged that they asked the supper club to be charged the same rate as female patrons. The superior court agreed and entered judgment in favor of the supper club. The court of appeal affirmed, concluding that before a claim could be made for discrimination, the plaintiffs must have made an affirmative assertion of the right to equal treatment. In support of its ruling, the court of appeal stated that this requirement ensured that the statutes would only be used to redress genuine grievances and punish genuine misconduct.
In Angelucci v. Century Supper Club, 2007 WL 1557339 (Cal. 2007), the Supreme Court reversed, holding that to assert a discrimination claim for unequal treatment against a business establishment, it is not necessary to demand equal treatment and be refused. The Unruh Act, as amended by the Gender Tax Repeal Act, prohibits businesses from charging different prices on the basis of gender, and the court noted that these provisions are intended to protect each person’s inherent right to free and equal access to all business establishments. Section 52(a) authorizes individual actions against anyone that discriminates in violation of the Act. The language of section 52(a) does not include a specific requirement that a victim of discrimination must demand equal treatment and be refused before filing suit, nor does it establish any requirement that notice and an opportunity to cure be given before a claim may be made.
The court rejected the court of appeal’s reasoning that the plaintiffs were not denied equal treatment because the supper club never refused an express demand for equal treatment. According to the court, if such a rule were in place, businesses could continue to engage in discriminatory practices, and by making exceptions for patrons who happened to challenge the practices, the businesses could avoid being sued under the Act. That rule would also prohibit suits by persons who discovered that they had been treated unequally only after the fact. The court also made it clear that injury occurs when plaintiffs present themselves for admission and are charged the nondiscounted price. Because arbitrary discrimination is per se injurious, the plaintiffs in this case had standing to bring claims because they were victims of the discriminatory practice, even though they did not challenge the practice at the time. The court did note allegations in the record that the plaintiffs and their attorneys were “professional plaintiffs” who made their living by asserting technical violations of civil rights laws against businesses and extorting settlements. While recognizing the potential for abusive litigation, the court concluded that it was up to the Legislature to determine whether the statutory requisites for filing a claim should be altered. In the meantime, businesses should be aware that if they have discriminatory pricing policies in place, those policies may result in a lawsuit even if no one has previously challenged the policies.