A discrimination suit was filed yesterday in a Michigan federal district court against a theater in the metropolitan Detroit area that in October hosted a rally for presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Plaintiff, Dr. Ahmed Ghanim, is a Muslim Arab American of Egyptian descent who ran an unsuccessful Democratic primary campaign for House of representatives. He was escorted out of the rally by secret service who said they were acting on behalf of the venue. The complaint (full text) in Ghanim v. Worldwide Entertainment ROMT, LLC, (ED MI, filed 11/21/2024), alleges intentional discrimination on the basis of race and/or religion or ethnicity in a place of public accommodation in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. It also alleges intentional infliction of emotional distress. According to a report by the Detroit News:
One day after the incident, the Harris campaign said it "regrets" what happened and said "he is welcome at future events."
