DENVER (CN) — A Black woman urged the 10th Circuit on Thursday to revive her racial discrimination lawsuit against Chili’s parent company after a Denver restaurant asked her to prepay for her birthday meal.
On April 30, 2022, Markesha Futrell-Smith took her family to her favorite Chili’s in Denver to celebrate her birthday. When server Maria Chavez informed manager Natasha Kilwine she recognized Futrell-Smith as someone who had previously walked out on a bill, the manager asked the family to prepay for their meal.
In a federal civil rights lawsuit filed in November 2023 against parent company Brinker International, Futrell-Smith said the manager never informed her of the walkout accusation, but she observed they were the only Black family in the restaurant and the only patrons asked to prepay…