Gender Discrimination Must Be Intentional to Violate The Unruh Civil Rights Act

California Business Law Update

On December 19, 2008, the Fourth District Court of Appeal published its opinion in Cohn v. Corinthian Colleges, Case No. G038388.  The case arose when the Angels Baseball club gave away tote bags to adult women fans who attended the Angels game on Mother’s Day, 2005.  The plaintiff, Michael Cohn, attended the game, requested a bag, and was refuse, allegedly because of is gender.  He sued the Angels and Corinthian Colleges, the event’s co-sponsor, under the Unruh Civil Rights Act (Civil Code section 51), alleging that the giveaway discriminated against him as a male.  The Angels and Corinthian colleges obtained summary judgments in the trial court, and the Court of Appeal affirmed.