"Case of the Month"

America always goes bigger.

The ball's rolling on human rights stuff down in the US. Their payouts make Canada's human rights game look like the minor leagues:

Star-Tribune: Four years after Abercrombie & Fitch refused to let a teenager help her autistic sister try on clothes at its Mall of America store, state officials have fined the company $115,264 for discriminating against a disabled person. The hefty penalty from the Minnesota Department of Human Rights pleased the Maxson family of Apple Valley, which was forced to push hard for satisfaction after the retailing giant refused to apologize for the incident and even questioned whether the girl was disabled. The fine was levied in June but made public this month...

Note that the state also gets their pound of flesh:

In her ruling, Sheehy concluded that Abercrombie & Fitch violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act and ordered the company to pay the girl $25,000 and cover the family's attorney fees of $41,069. The company had to pay the state a $25,000 fine and cover other expenses totaling $24,194.

The human rights department is pretty proud of it, too. They list it on their website as the Case of the Month. You'll also be able to find it in their newsletter, The Rights Stuff. Catchy.