Former Baton Rouge NAACP leader sues Stab’s Prime over alleged racial discrimination

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A Baton Rouge woman has filed a federal lawsuit against a local steakhouse, alleging she was denied service due to her race under the pretense of a dress code violation.

According to court documents, Y’Mine McClanahan, then Vice President of the Baton Rouge Branch of the NAACP, visited Stab’s Prime Steak and Seafood on July 23, 2024, wearing a floral crop top and ankle-length skirt. The lawsuit says she had worn the same outfit to the restaurant’s sister location weeks earlier without issue.

At the Jefferson Highway location, co-owner Dori Murvin allegedly refused to seat McClanahan, claiming her attire was “too revealing” and did not meet the restaurant’s business casual dress code.

McClanahan’s lawsuit accuses Stab’s Prime of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Louisiana’s anti-discrimination laws. The complaint also claims negligence in how the dress code was applied.

The lawsuit highlights alleged inconsistencies in how the policy was enforced, stating that several white patrons, employees, and even the co-owner herself wore outfits that either matched or violated the dress code. Photographs and screenshots included in the complaint show patrons and staff wearing shorts, tank tops, and revealing clothing, some of which were allegedly posted by the restaurant on social media.

Stab’s attire policy at the time barred “gym wear, sweat pants, tank tops, clothing with offensive graphics or language, exposed undergarments or revealing clothing, cut-off shorts and flip-flops, and torn jeans.” The policy was reportedly updated after the incident to remove “tank tops” from the banned list.

The complaint alleges that the policy was selectively enforced and that McClanahan, who is Black, was treated differently from white guests and staff dressed in similar or more revealing clothing.

McClanahan is seeking compensatory damages and declaratory relief. She told Louisiana First News in an earlier interview that the experience left her “mortified, violated, ashamed and really humiliated.”

Louisiana First News has reached out to Stab’s Prime Steak and Seafood for comment on the lawsuit. In response to earlier coverage of the incident, the restaurant denied any wrongdoing and said its attire policy had been in effect for more than three years.

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