In August, a group of black women were kicked off a Napa Valley wine train for the crime of laughing loudly; they are now suing the train company for racial discrimination.
The group of 11 women—who were members of a book club heading from Napa to St. Helena—filed the lawsuit against Napa Valley Wine Train Inc. on Thursday, seeking $11 million in damages.
According to the suit, the train had yet to leave the station when an employee asked the women to quiet down. Later, the employee called them out again while threatening to call the police. The women were eventually booted off the train altogether.
The train company apologized after the story made headlines, but they also issued a statement that accused the women of “verbal and physical abuse toward other guests and staff,” which is mentioned in the lawsuit.
At a press conference, Lisa Johnson, 47, said of the incident, “That was the most humiliating experience that I have ever had in my entire life. This is 2015, and this just cannot happen again.”
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Image via Lisa Johnson’s Facebook
