Darren O'Connor Law Settles Section 1981 Discrimination Suit

DARREN O’CONNOR LAW, LLC

December 10, 2025

Boulder County resident Jamillah Richmond, who is African American with mixed ethnicity, has settled her discrimination lawsuit under Section 1981 against the owners of William Oliver’s Publick House in Lafayette.

Plaintiff Jamillah Richmond (courtesy of Ms. Richmond).

In April of this year, Ms. Richmond, her then-twelve-year-old daughter, and friends, some of whom also brought their children, went to William Oliver’s Publick House in Lafayette and sought dinner. When the food arrived, Ms. Richmond observed that her food was “off” to a

degree she feared that it may cause her food poisoning. Her daughter ordered macaroni and cheese and pork bites. Her daughter ate all of the macaroni and cheese but only a few bites of the pork because it too smelled and tasted “off.”

An employee threatened to call the police on Ms. Richmond when the latter raised questions about paying for meals she did not eat, and the same employee engaged other white customers, who began to harass her.

Ms. Richmond’s daughter experienced projectile vomiting the same night and significant emotional distress, losing sleep, and expressed her fear of her mother being killed by the police as a result of the employee’s threats.

Ms. Richmond then retained Darren O’Connor of Darren O’Connor Law, LLC, and when initial settlement discussions failed, they together filed a lawsuit under Section 1981 for discrimination, as well as claims of negligence and outrageous conduct. After the lawsuit was filed, the parties engaged in discussions again and reached a settlement.

 William Oliver’s Publick House agreed in the settlement to pay Ms. Richmond $30,000, and the parties agreed that the terms of the settlement would not be subject to a non-disclosure agreement. The business admits no liability and the settlement is not an admission of guilt.

Ms. Richmond hopes the business has learned from this experience of what she deems blatant discrimination, an opinion bolstered by multiple Google complaints about William Oliver’s Publick House in which complainants stated things like "The food and service at this establishment are both trash, both of which are a problem on their own. But on top of that, they are passive-aggressive racist." She hopes her experience will embolden others subjected to discrimination in Boulder County to stand up for their legal right to live free from such unacceptable behavior. 

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Contact: Darren O’Connor, Esq.

720.961.3869     darreno@dolawllc.com