A transgender woman and San Francisco resident Amber Yust, represented by the Dolan Law Firm, settled her privacy and civil rights lawsuit with the San Francisco DMV.
In October 2010, a DMV employee, who had a known history of denying equal service to transgender customers, retained Yust’s personal information through his employment at the DMV. The employee then used the information to send her materials condemning her transgender status, and calling for homosexuals to be “put to death.”
The matter resolved with the State of California for $40,000, and with the former DMV employee for $15,000. As a part of the settlement, the DMV agreed to work with the Transgender Law Center in an effort to incorporate transgender sensitivity into its ongoing employee training.
At The Dolan Law Firm, our California transgender rights lawyers fight for the rights and dignity of transgender people.
Dolan said, “this suit affirms the right of all people to equal access to government services, regardless of their orientation or decision to make a transition to live life as their full and complete self. In the big picture, this suit promotes the privacy rights of all Californians by ensuring that confidential information retained by our government stays confidential.”
This settlement comes in the wake of another legal milestone for transgender civil rights. The Dolan Law Firm, a prominent leader in LGBT rights, represented Lana Lawless in her suit against the Ladies Professional Golf Association for denying her the right to compete based on her transgender status. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, the LPGA removed its longstanding “female at birth” requirement, which precluded transgender women from participating in the organization. Lawless’ case against the LPGA was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all parties.
