Napa Valley Wine Train Facing $5M Lawsuit From Black Women's Book Club

[Starry Messenger]

Hat tip to Cha, who found this developing news story.

http://www.eater.com/2015/8/30/9227735/black-womens-book-club-lawsuit-napa-valley-wine-train

A civil rights lawyer plans to meet with the company next week to discuss a settlement.

The Napa Valley Wine Train may be facing a lawsuit from the 11 black women's book club members who were booted off a tour "for laughing and talking too loud." The women plan to seek $5 million for "malicious oppression," civil rights lawyer Waukeen McCoy tells the San Francisco Chronicle. "There must be compensation for the humiliation suffered," he adds.

The trouble started on August 22, when the women posted comments on Facebook describing how they were kicked off the wine train. The incident quickly ignited social media frenzy centered on the hashtag #LaughingWhileBlack. On Tuesday, Napa Valley Wine Train CEO Anthony Giaccio issued a public apology to the women saying the company was "100 percent wrong" and accepted "full responsibility." The Chronicle reports that the members were then offered a 50-seat private railcar, valued at $6,200 for a future visit.

"We're standing our ground on this issue," book club member Lisa Johnson said in a statement to CBS. "I really don't feel that it was a true apology because basically I feel that they're just being directed by their PR person." The book club's lawyer tells the Chronicle he will meet with representatives from the wine train next week to try and work out a financial settlement, noting that similar cases have settled for between $500,000 and $5 million. "They have been humiliated, and we don't want this to happen to anyone else."

Yeah, I didn't think the offer of a segregated train ride in compensation was very on point either. They'd better get those sensitivity trainings they mentioned in their "apology", like yesterday.

Edit: thread with background on this story. http://www.democraticunderground.com/118723772

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I don't know if I agree with the law suit

I prefer - once a discriminator -

Always boycotted.

I will never ever eat that chik-fil-a.

I will never go to Hobby Lobby.

When people are bad - they ought to be punished.

I'd also like to see the five black owned wineries (being touted in black media) pull together and create a tour where ALL our welcome.

Just like that - ALL our welcome for a day of revelry.

[Starry Messenger]

4. I feel that way too.

How could you ever feel good about being on an excursion you know was capable of being like that?

If you have time, could you post a link about the black-owned wineries? I can definitely direct my $ that way.

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Check this out!

http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2015/08/black-owned-wineries/

[Starry Messenger]

6. Ooo! I'm putting that in my vacation folder right now.

Husband and I are planning our next trip. Excellent! Thank you!

[roguevalley]

12. why, why, why do people do this?! I will NEVER understand it. IF NOTHING ELSE,

their MONEY is the right color, green.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. Exactly!

I'd say black folks committing to the five wineries that won't worry about the expressions on the other guest faces is the way to go.

[MADem]

20. Hey, why not do both? Take the money--and RUN.

I call this the "Who's Laughing NOW?" lawsuit.

[brush]

2. I think the wine train screwed with the wrong group.

Looks like they're going to have to cough up some money.

[blackspade]

3. Kicked off for laughing and talking?

Black people having fun....DANGER!!!!!
This is so disturbing and pathetic.

[nichomachus]

7. There's laughing and talking and there's LAUGHING AND TALKING

If you weren't on the train, you don't know what went on. So coming to any conclusion is just based on your own prejudices.

I have been in establishments where far fewer than 20 people were LAUGHING and TALKING so loud, I couldn't carry on a conversation with my partner. In some places, I've had to ask to have my table changed. In other places, I've just left. One place, we got 10 feet inside the door and walked out.

Of course, the other passengers who were confined in a small space with the group couldn't change seats or leave in the middle of a train trip.

And of course, the group is going to claim that they were just chuckling harmlessly among themselves. However, the train has said that other passengers complained repeatedly and the train crew repeatedly asked the women to tone it down repeatedly and they didn't.

I don't know what the situation was, but if you look at it from the train's point of view, it really doesn't make any sense to throw 20 people off for no good reason.

1. They have to refund all their money
2. They have to provide alternate transportation for them
3. They run the risk or bad publicity, which they're getting

I can't imagine this in in their best interest in any way. I find it hard to imagine that this is the first group of black people who have been on the train.

I've noticed lately, that there's a real problem with how people - of all genders and races -- behave in public places. For some reason, they feel obliged to scream at others in their party -- even when they're 18 inches apart. As the size of the group increases, the volume of the screaming increases exponentially because of cross-talk.

I couldn't imagine having paid $150 bucks a person for a nice romantic experience and being trapped in a railroad car with a bunch of hollering, screaming people -- male or female or whatever race.

[blackspade]

8. You admonish me about not knowing what went on and then....

launch into assumption land yourself?

[JustAnotherGen]

9. I have to agree with you on this

[nichomachus]

10. No, I was quite clear I didn't know

and I made no assumptions.

Please re-read my post -- or have someone read it to you.

[Cha]

17. How rude.. "Please re-read post -- or have someone read it to you." Coming into the AA group and

insult people.

[MADem]

22. Talk about needing someone to READ to you!! Why don't you have someone read to you what group

you are posting in, because apparently you don't know where you're at or who you're lecturing with that rude, denigrating and sanctimonious horseshit.

Open a bit wider, you should be able to fit the whole foot in.

[Starry Messenger]

11. "I don't know what the situation was"

It is clear that you are a latecomer to this story. The train was totally in the wrong, and they admitted it. They often have groups that are social--it is not a quiet experience. The group was no noisier than any other group that takes the train, they were laughing and discussing a book.

The train maitre d approached the group first without *any* complaints from other passengers. The maitre d claimed she could read faces and decided that was enough grounds to tell a group of Black women who hadn't even left the depot yet, let alone a glass of wine, that she thought they were too noisy.

No, it doesn't make any sense to make 11, not 20, people get off the train, including a grandma in her 80s who was on a walker. But that's exactly what they did. That is why they are groveling in the press and why they are facing a tasty lawsuit.

The women viewed several YouTube videos after this incident, of white people on the train carrying on in a loud fashion, way way above what anyone in the group of Black women had done. This incident was racially biased. The end.

[gollygee]

18. +1

According to articles, white groups have been much rowdier, including flashing people, without getting kicked off.

[Starry Messenger]

19. The flashing people thing was the last straw.

Honest to god, people who think this is some sedate experience after reading about that need to do some soul-searching. There are some white tie events in Sonoma County, but it's NorCal. This is hippie wine country.

[MADem]

21. Oh, bull. There have been rowdy crowds of white women on that train and no one got kicked off.

Not long ago, a crowd of loud LATINOS got in hot water, too.

That train is a WHITE SPACE. And they're going to take a five million dollar course in INCLUSION.

You probably need to do some googling--you aren't up to speed on this story at all.

Let's start with the obvious--who APOLOGIZES if they've done NOTHING WRONG? Hmmm?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/25/allegations-of-racism-after-a-black-womens-book-club-is-ordered-off-calif-wine-train/

“We accept full responsibility for our failures and for the chain of events that led to this regrettable treatment of our guests,” Anthony “Tony” Giaccio said in a statement, which was sent to The Post.

Giaccio said in his statement that he has spoken with Johnson and apologized for her group’s experience on the train. He also wrote a letter to the club, apologizing for the company’s “many mistakes and failures.”

“We pride ourselves our hospitality and our desire to please our guests on the Napa Valley Wine Train,” the letter stated. “In this instance, we failed in every measure of the meaning of good service, respect and hospitality.”

In the letter, Giaccio promised to make sure employees received more diversity and sensitivity training, and invited the club back on the train as his personal guests. The chief executive also noted that train employees were “insensitive when we asked you to depart our train by marching you down the aisle past all the other passengers” and said the company “erred by placing an inaccurate post on our Facebook site that was not reflective of what actually occurred.”

“Please accept my apologies for our many mistakes and failures,” he wrote.

[Cha]

14. "They have been humiliated, and we don't want this to happen to anyone else." I remember in

another article from Gormy Cuss.. Lisa Johnson saying..

"you can apologize but you can't take away the experience we had"..

http://news.yahoo.com/wine-train-issues-apology-black-223422058.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/118723772#post23

It would have been so devastating, Starry.. Their Big Fun Day and this Happens.. with all the ugly history it invokes for African Americans. They were the first ever thrown off the Napa Wine train and met by the police, after being marched through the cars.

Mahalo for posting!

[Starry Messenger]

15. And then the train posted lies about what happened on their social media

which was just egregious, on top of everything else. Thank you for the tip, Cha!

[Cha]

16. The Napa Wine Co was trying to weasel out of it.. not good to try and cover it up on top of

what actually happened!

I also remember when we first were discussing #LaughingWhileBlack.. you said, you hoped they ended up owning the train co. And, I agreed.

This is a good start. And, you're quite Welcome, Starry~