Good news for bar owners who cannot stand the 45th President of the United States–the law is on your side, my friends.
A bar in New York City is celebrating (probably with a few cold ones) after winning a pretty ridiculous case. According to reports, Greg Piatek went to “Happiest Hour” in NYC’s West Village in October and was asked to leave–for wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. Piatek claims that an employee said:
Anyone who supports Trump—or believes what you believe—is not welcome here!
Piatek then decided the incident was worth a lawsuit and sued the bar for “discrimination.” The New York Post reported that Piatek and his legal team claimed: “he was honoring his spiritual beliefs.” However, a Manhattan Supreme Court Judge ruled the bar had every right to throw Piatek out of their bar.
The bar’s owner, John Neidich, said in a statement:
“What’s gotten lost in this story is that the guest wasn’t kicked out because he was wearing a Trump hat. He was asked to leave after being verbally abusive to our staff, which is something we don’t tolerate regardless of who you are.”
Piatek claimed in court that the bar “refused to serve him,” however, the legal team representing Happiest Hour brought evidence of the $186 bar tab accounted for by Piatek and a friend–which they paid for before they had been asked to leave.
The legal team representing the bar also shut down Piatek’s comments on “spiritual beliefs,” claiming that a MAGA hat is not part of any religious apparel and “supporting Donald Trump is not a religious practice.”
Luckily, Justice David Cohen agreed with the bar and their legal team–claiming that Piatek failed to make any connection to religion and discrimination. The lawsuit was dismissed after citing that the New York City bar has every right to ask a customer to leave their establishment.
Now, the bar’s owner reports that he and several employees have received backlash on social media–as well as threats they’ve had to report to the local police precinct.
We just have one question…
So if Kayne West walks into the Happiest Hour Bar in New York wearing his MAGA hat, what happens? #deepthoughts
— Cherie Asbjornson (@lcasbjornson) April 26, 2018