L.A. Barbershop Ordered To Pay $80,000 For Discrimination
Nikko Briteramos simply received a serious authorized battle in opposition to barbershop King of Kuts, who he claims discriminated in opposition to him as a result of he was HIV-positive.
Briteramos, a private coach, was an everyday on the institution till the autumn of 2017. That was till a barber disclosed to the store’s proprietor that Briteramos has HIV. When Briteramos got here in for a scheduled October appointment, the barber got here out to him and knowledgeable him to go away and never return to the store.
“‘Don’t fear concerning the different instances I lower your hair, however I can’t lower your hair anymore. I’ve lots of celeb clientele,’” Ramos recounted concerning the alternate. “After that, he shook my hand, and I checked out him, and I simply form of walked away.”
In consequence, and after a prolonged court docket battle, Briteramos will obtain $80,000, in accordance with Out.com. A choose dominated final week that the barbershop may also must pay out $75,000 in further court docket charges to the plaintiff, who filed a lawsuit in opposition to King of Kuts in 2018 alongside Lambda Authorized, an LGBTQ authorized rights advocacy group.
Briteramos’ lawsuit alleged that the barbershop’s denial of service violated the Individuals with Disabilities Act in addition to California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.
King of Kuts reportedly by no means responded to the go well with, prompting Briteramos’ authorized group to request a default judgement earlier this 12 months. The store additionally didn’t reply to that request, leading to a judgment within the private coach’s favor.
Curiously, this isn’t the primary time Briteramos has been in court docket over his HIV-positive standing. Again in 2002, he was a part of a high-profile South Dakota case through which he was sentenced to jail for exposing his then-girlfriend to HIV.
On the time, he was solely 19 years outdated and performed faculty basketball. The case drew worldwide consideration as activists identified the racists and homophobic parts working by way of harsh partner-notification legal guidelines.
Briteramos later pled responsible to 1 rely of “Intentional Publicity to HIV” and acquired a suspended sentence of 5 years, 120 days in jail, and 200 hours group service plus fines. He was finally arrested for violating the phrases of his probation for testing optimistic for marijuana and subsequently spent 18 months within the South Dakota State Penitentiary.