PITTSBURGH – An Allegheny County attorney alleges that he was the subject of racial discrimination when police officers responded to a report that he was a suspicious person, as he dined at a local McDonald’s restaurant.
Todd J. Hollis of Turtle Creek first filed suit in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on Dec. 21 versus John Doe.
“On Dec. 20, 2022, plaintiff Todd J. Hollis was at the McDonald’s located at 4317 Northern Pike, Monroeville, PA, 15146, for the purpose of buying lunch. Hollis paid for his order and was sitting at a table waiting for the food to be ready. Hollis was the only Black person in the restaurant,” the suit says.
“As Hollis was sitting at his table, two Monroeville police officers walked in the building and approached the front counter. After speaking with an employee, the two officers walked over to Hollis and began questioning him, on the grounds that someone made a call stating he was a suspicious person.”
The suit adds that a direct, sole and proximate result of the defendant’s actions, the plaintiff’s civil rights were violated under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act.
“Defendant John Doe violated plaintiff Hollis’s rights in all or some of the following particulars: In discriminating against plaintiff on the basis of his race, color, religious creed, ancestry, age or national origin, and in doing so, violated 18 Pa. C.S. Section 4906 by creating a false report to law enforcement authorities where defendant violated said statute in all or some of the following ways; In falsely incriminating or attempting to falsely incriminate plaintiff; in creating a fictitious report; in declaring a state of emergency when no emergency is present, and in weaponizing and using law enforcement as a vessel of his/her personal bias,” the suit states.
“As a direct, sole and proximate result of defendant’s actions, plaintiff was subjected to embarrassment, inconvenience, public humiliation, fear for his own safety, as well as nervousness, anxiety and emotional distress.”
For a single count of discrimination, the plaintiff is seeking damages in excess of the compulsory arbitration limit, together with costs, compensatory damages, punitive damages and any other relief that this Honorable Court deems appropriate, given the circumstances.
The plaintiff is representing himself in this matter.
The defendant has not yet secured legal counsel.
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas case GD-22-015809
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com