CEO whose Fresno taproom racist rant went viral now faces lawsuit by former bartender
It’s been about seven months since a belligerent customer hurled racial and malicious insults at Rebecca Hernandez while she was working as a bartender at a north Fresno tap room. And she’s not over it.
The July 7 incident at the Out of the Barrel in Fig Garden Village allegedly left Hernandez in severe emotional distress. As a result she’s suing the person she says is responsible — former marketing company CEO Jason Wood.
Hernandez said the confrontation caused her to suffer from headaches and panic attacks. Medical professionals are currently evaluating her for symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome, the suit says.
“She continues to remain fearful at all times, and has lost work as a result of Wood’s outrageous conduct,” the lawsuit states.
Unfortunately for Wood his “outrageous conduct” was caught on cell phone video by Hernandez. She recorded it she said because she felt uncomfortable and unsafe. The video went viral with hundreds commenting on Wood’s racist and sexist comments.
Wood could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
In the video, Wood becomes irritated after taproom staff tell him he’s had enough and they cut him off from purchasing any more booze.
He’s asked to leave and he agrees. But as he is paying his bill at the front counter, he starts arguing with Hernandez. He questions her about her ethnicity, at one point calling her Saudi Arabian and then saying she is: “(expletive) stupid like they are.”
The lawsuit alleges Wood also called Hernandez “a dark-haired dumb ass, sand (expletive) mother (expletive).”
“Wood’s conduct constituted a threat, intimidation, or coercion, or attempts to interfere by threat, intimidation, or coercion, with Plaintiff’s exercise and enjoyment of her civil rights to be free from physical harm by a third person,” the lawsuit states.
“Further, Wood’s speech itself threatened violence against Plaintiff, who reasonably feared that, because of Wood’s speech, violence would be committed against her or her property, and that Wood had the apparent ability to carry out the threat.”
Hernandez is seeking financial damages, including punitive, general and exemplary. She is also seeking payment for past and future earnings and past and future medical expenses.
Her lawyer, Adam Benkoski of Hoppe Law Group in Fresno, has also named two marketing companies as defendants: Actionable Insights and Tradigital Partners.
Wood was the CEO of Actionable Insights, but resigned after the incident at the tap room in Fresno. He currently runs Tradigital Partners, a sister company Wood created in 2018.
This story was originally published February 3, 2021 at 5:33 PM.
