Urth Cafe's Anti-Muslim Discrimination Brouhaha Gets Even Ugier

LAGUNA BEACH, CA A war of words broke out today between attorneys representing opposing sides in the dispute over a group of Muslim women kicked out of a Laguna Beach cafe, a conflict that has spilled over into the courts.

The attorneys for the women, who sued Urth Caffe this week in Orange County Superior Court, issued a statement today saying the restaurant's attorney, David Yerushalmi, has been involved in a "long litany of anti-Muslim litigation and advocacy."

Yerushalmi fired back that his clients plan to sue the Muslim women on the grounds of trespass and malicious prosecution.

"We're going to take this lawsuit (from the customers) and ram it right back down their throats," Yerushalmi told City News Service. "They're going to have to reach into their pockets and pay our clients."

Yerushalmi said he runs a "public interest law firm" that can represent his clients "for free," and that the Urth Caffe owners will "litigate this thing to the teeth and (the accusers) will rue the day they picked on this particular cafe."

Dan Stormer, the attorney for the women, laughed off the threats and called his case of discrimination against Urth Caffe a "trial lawyer's dream."

Stormer's firm pointed reporters to a profile the Southern Poverty Law Center did on Yerushalmi that claims the attorney has made eyebrow-raising comments in the past such as, "There is a reason the founding fathers did not give women or black slaves the right to vote. You might not agree or like the idea but this country's founders, otherwise held in the highest esteem for their understanding of human nature and its effect on political society, certainly took it seriously."

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Yerushalmi said the Southern Poverty Law Center, "is a discredited, hardcore, leftist group that has no credibility whatsoever."

Yerushalmi ridiculed the idea that the Urth Caffe showed some sort of bias just by hiring him.

"Any lawyer who would make that kind of statement about the merits of the case is either stupid or committing malpractice," Yerushalmi said

"Whatever beliefs I may or may not have does not affect the merits of my client's case. Do you ask a murderer what his lawyer's ideological beliefs are?"

Yerushalmi denied taking part in any "anti-Muslim litigation."

In fact, the attorney said, he has represented many Muslims in the past and is representing a Muslim client presently.

"Right now we're representing Muslims in D.C. -- four Muslims suing (the Council on Islamic-American Relations) for fraud," Yerushalmi said.

"Am I an anti-Sharia activist? You bet, I don't apologize for that," Yerushalmi said. "Am I anti-Muslim? I don't think my Muslim clients think that."

Stormer said, "the fact this owner has chosen to select as its lawyer someone who has gone around the country engaging in rhetoric that is incredibly anti-Muslim speaks volumes about their behavior. If they are so correct in their position why not hire a lawyer who knows what he's doing in situations like this instead of a lawyer who has written anti-Muslim legislation throughout the country."

Stormer added, "I'm not saying (Yerushalmi) doesn't have a right to represent them. I'm saying it's a very strange selection by someone who says they don't discriminate against Muslims."

Yerushalmi said the women were ejected from the restaurant because they overstayed the time limit for the front patio seating, which is the most popular area because of its view of downtown Laguna Beach. The patrons were welcome to seat themselves elsewhere in the restaurant where it is not so busy, he said.

When they balked they were asked to leave and police were called to escort them out.

On Tuesday, the attorneys for the women alleged that a few racially charged incidents before the ejection of the women prompted the owners to kick out the women, six of whom were wearing hijabs, a head scarf for Muslim women.

Laguna Beach police Capt. Jason Kravetz confirmed there were two incidents, one on March 11 and the other on March 21, that involved car loads of young men hurling eggs at the restaurant.

There was another incident in which an employee called police to say her tires were slashed in a parking area about a block away from the restaurant, Kravetz said.

Police were still investigating the vandalism, so Kravetz declined to comment on any evidence that may exist about whether the crimes were racially motivated.

Stormer said "witnesses" have told his staff the crimes had an anti- Muslim aspect to them.

Yerushalmi adamantly denied there was any evidence the incidents were racially motivated.

"They just made it up," he said.

City News Service