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.
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, [email protected], https://brandyaustinlaw.com/
Darian Berryman, Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC, 1 8178419906, [email protected], https://brandyaustinlaw.com/
SOURCE Brandy Austin Law Firm, PLLC
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