Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II filed a lawsuit against AMC Theaters on Thursday, accusing the company of disability discrimination.
A respected minister, civil rights activist, and theology professor out of North Carolina is suing AMC Theaters for being escorted out of the Greenville location last year on claims his special wheelchair was a fire hazard.
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II took his 90-year-old mother to the movies the day after Christmas last year to see The Color Purple but never got to see the film after theater staff had him removed, WITN reports. In his suit, Barber claims he was discriminated against due to his wheelchair, which is used for a severe spinal condition.
“He was embarrassed, defamed, accused of committing a crime, and subject to a horrific injustice by employees at the AMC theater,” his attorney, Harry Daniels, said during a Dec. 19 press conference.
“Seeing that movie at that time is an experience that I’ll never be able to give to her,” Barber said.
Barber, who uses a wheelchair due to his diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis—a form of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine’s joints and ligaments—believes his disability led to police being called to forcibly remove him from the theater. He claims the experience violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).