Attorney Brandy Austin,
Justin Wood, and the Firm's legal
team successfully defended the interests of a sexual harassment
victim after the perpetrator attempted to silence them with a
defamation lawsuit. This case, and the victory in a conservative
Texas county, highlights the importance of supporting victims in
the #MeToo era.
DALLAS-FT. WORTH METROPLEX, Texas, July 30,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- This case arose from
a 2021 blog written by Baylee "Bay" Higginbotham (they/them) detailing their
experiences working in a hair salon owned by the plaintiff,
Alejandro "Ale" Bonilla. The Brandy Austin Law Firm represented Bay
after they experienced retaliation from Mr. Bonilla due to the
contents of the blog.
"Bay's story shows that even when facing
people in positions of power—even when the odds are stacked against
you—you can still prevail and find justice." - Brandy Austin
In their blog, Bay recounted their experiences dealing with Mr.
Bonilla's sexually exploitative behavior and the details of their
coerced sexual relationship, along with the experiences of multiple
additional anonymous authors. Bay indicated that this type of
behavior in the hair styling industry was pervasive, and that Bay
was not the only victim of Mr. Bonilla's attention. The blog
alleges that Mr. Bonilla habitually dated people
younger than him—particularly women aged 19-22 years old—and used
his position of power as a salon owner to coerce them into sexual
relationships.
As a form of retaliation against Bay and this blog, Mr. Bonilla
filed a lawsuit for defamation against them, claiming the blog was
simply a "hate campaign" and the alleged relationships
and coercion were false.
As the case progressed, Mr. Bonilla and his counsel launched a
barrage of spiteful personal attacks on Bay and their legal team,
including vile insults about Ms. Austin herself. This onslaught
continued for years, with the Court having to reprimand Mr. Bonilla
and his counsel for this behavior on multiple occasions. These
petty, personal attacks served no purpose but to belittle and
browbeat Bay and the Brandy Austin Law Firm into capitulating to
the demands in the suit, and to disrespect and discredit the
judicial process as a whole. Ms. Austin and Bay stood firm against
them.
A two-week trial began on May 13,
2024, in the 153rd District Court of Tarrant County, with Attorney Brandy Austin, Attorney Justin Wood, and Paralegal Trey Spencer
appearing to defend Bay against this retaliation. Over the course
of the trial, Ms. Austin and Mr. Wood presented evidence
demonstrating that Mr. Bonilla had a well-known reputation of
sexual predation in the DFW hairstyling community and that Bay was
the first to break their silence and publicly stand up to him. He
had advertised services to children using sexually-charged
campaigns and preyed on potential romantic partners barely out of
their teens. Bay's blog highlighted facts that were already
well-known, but which people had been afraid to speak up about. And
as such, Mr. Bonilla's reputation was tarnished well before Bay
began posting anything on their blog.
Ms. Austin and Mr. Wood questioned over a dozen witnesses, many
of whom were salon ex-employees who affirmed Bay's allegations and
testified about their own negative experiences with Mr.
Bonilla.
Ultimately, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in Bay's
favor. The blog will remain online, and Bonilla will recover
nothing from Bay.
The case is notable within the context of the #MeToo climate,
and the jury verdict is a testament to the success of Ms. Austin
and her legal team. The Brandy Austin Law Firm won—even with the
odds stacked against them, in a conservative county, defending a
marginalized community member against someone in a significant
position of power.
Media Contact
Brandy M. Austin, Brandy Austin
Law Firm, PLLC, 1 8178419906, brandy@brandyaustinlaw.com,
https://brandyaustinlaw.com/
Darian Berryman, Brandy Austin
Law Firm, PLLC, 1 8178419906, attorney@brandyaustinlaw.com,
https://brandyaustinlaw.com/
Twitter, LinkedIn
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SOURCE Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC