United States v. Fathi Abdulrahim Harara et al. (N.D. Cal.)

On September 10, 2025, the court denied the Defendants’ motion to dismiss in United States v. Fathi Abdulrahim Harara, et al. (N.D. Cal.), rejecting Defendants’ argument that the incidents described in the United States’ complaint were isolated and too dissimilar to amount to a pattern or practice of discrimination.   The United States’ complaint, which was filed on June 9, 2025, alleged that that the owners of the Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California, discriminated against and refused to serve Jewish customers based on their race and religion.  The complaint alleges that, on at least three separate occasions over a four-month period, the coffee house’s owner, Fathi Abdulrahim Harara, and his employees refused to serve two Jewish customers who were wearing baseball caps displaying the Star of David and ordered them to leave.  Mr. Harara and the employees also followed these individuals outside and continued to hurl threats and insults at them.  The complaint alleges that the defendants have a policy or practice that denies Jewish individuals the full and equal enjoyment of access to the services, accommodations, and privileges of the Jerusalem Coffee House based on race and religion, in violation of Title II of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.  The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief.

Press Release (6/9/2025)