Opinion ID: 1897530
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Place of Public Accommodation

Text: [T]he overarching goal of the [LAD] is nothing less than the eradication `of the cancer of discrimination.' Fuchilla v. Layman, 109 N.J. 319, 334, 537 A. 2d 652 (quoting Jackson v. Concord Co., 54 N.J. 113, 124, 253 A. 2d 793 (1969)), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 826, 109 S.Ct. 75, 102 L. Ed. 2d 51 (1988). [D]iscrimination threatens not only the rights and proper privileges of the inhabitants of [New Jersey,] but menaces the institutions and foundation of a free democratic State. N.J.S.A. 10:5-3. In furtherance of its purpose to root out discrimination, the Legislature has directed that the LAD shall be liberally construed. Ibid. We have adhered to that legislative mandate by historically and consistently interpreting the LAD `with that high degree of liberality which comports with the preeminent social significance of its purposes and objects.' Andersen v. Exxon Co., 89 N.J. 483, 495, 446 A. 2d 486 (1982) (quoting Passaic Daily News v. Blair, 63 N.J. 474, 484, 308 A. 2d 649 (1973)). A clear understanding of the phrase place of public accommodation is critical. That is because place of public accommodation is, in large measure, determinative of the LAD's scope. Certainly, if the statute is broadly applicable, the antidiscriminatory impact of its provisions is greater. The Legislature's finding that the effects of discrimination are pernicious, and its directive to liberally construe the LAD, have informed our cases interpreting the reach of place of public accommodation.
In 1965, the Court held that places of public accommodation were not limited to those enumerated in the statute. Fraser v. Robin Dee Day Camp, 44 N.J. 480, 486, 210 A. 2d 208 (1965) (then N.J.S.A. 18:25-5( l )). At that time, the statutory definition used the word include to preface a list of specific places of public accommodation. See id. at 485, 210 A. 2d 208. We reasoned that the Legislature's choice of the word include indicated that the places expressly mentioned were merely illustrative of the accommodations the Legislature intended to be within the scope of the statute. Other accommodations, similar in nature to those enumerated, were also intended to be covered. Id. at 486, 210 A. 2d 208. Less than a year later, the Legislature amended the LAD to expressly state that `a place of public accommodation' shall include, but not be limited to  the various examples identified, L. 1966, c. 17 (emphasis added), thereby reaffirming our broad construction of the statutory language. [5] Later, the word place became a further source of legal dispute. In National Organization of Women v. Little League Baseball, Inc., 67 N.J. 320, 338 A. 2d 198 (1974), we affirmed the decision of the Appellate Division holding that: [t]he statutory noun `place' ... is a term of convenience, not of limitation[,] ... employed to reflect the fact that public accommodations are commonly provided at fixed `places.' 127 N.J.Super. 522, 531, 318 A. 2d 33 (App.Div.1974). The defendant in Little League was a chartered baseball league that excluded girls between the ages of eight and twelve years from participation in its programs. The league contended that it did not come within the meaning of the statute, primarily because it [was] a membership organization which does not operate from any fixed parcel of real estate in New Jersey of which it had exclusive possession by ownership or lease. Id. at 530, 318 A. 2d 33. The court rejected that narrow view of place: The place of public accommodation in the case of Little League is obviously the ball field at which tryouts are arranged, instructions given, practices held and games played. The statutory accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges at the place of public accommodation is the entire agglomeration of the arrangements which Little League and its local chartered leagues make and the facilities they provide for the playing of baseball by the children. [ Id. at 531, 318 A. 2d 33 (citations omitted).] In New Jersey, place has been more than a fixed location since 1974. As Boy Scouts correctly observes, other jurisdictions interpreting their antidiscrimination laws have found place to be a limiting factor encompassing only a fixed location. See, e. g., Welsh v. Boy Scouts of Am., 993 F. 2d 1267, 1269 (7th Cir.) (holding that Boy Scouts is not place of public accommodation under Title II of Civil Rights Act of 1964 because Congress when enacting § 2000a(b) never intended to include membership organizations that do not maintain a close connection to a structural facility within the meaning of `place of public accommodation'), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1012, 114 S.Ct. 602, 126 L.Ed. 2d 567 (1993); United States Jaycees v. Richardet, 666 P. 2d 1008, 1011 (Alaska 1983) (stating that the word `place'....would not encompass a service organization lacking a fixed geographical situs); United States Jaycees v. Bloomfield, 434 A. 2d 1379, 1381 (D.C.1981) (disagreeing with lower court's conclusion that it is not necessary that there be a building ... in order to categorize an existing entity as a place of public accommodation); United States Jaycees v. Iowa Civil Rights Comm'n, 427 N.W. 2d 450, 454 (Iowa 1988) (stating that United States Jaycees is not a `place' within our definition of `public accommodation'); United States Jaycees v. Massachusetts Comm'n Against Discrimination, 391 Mass. 594, 463 N.E. 2d 1151, 1156 (1984) (finding that Massachusetts antidiscrimination law does not apply to [a] membership organization, since such an organization does not fall within the commonly accepted definition of `place'). We observe that not all jurisdictions have interpreted place so narrowly. The New York Court of Appeals has held that a place of public accommodation need not be a fixed location, it is the place where petitioners do what they do, including the place where petitioners' meetings and activities occur. United States Power Squadrons v. State Human Rights Appeal Bd., 59 N.Y. 2d 401, 465 N.Y.S. 2d 871, 452 N.E. 2d 1199, 1204 (1983). The Supreme Court of Minnesota has also approved a flexible construction of the term place. In United States Jaycees v. McClure, 305 N.W. 2d 764, 773 (Minn.1981), the Minnesota court agreed with the Little League premise that a `place of public accommodation'... is less a matter of whether the organization operates on a permanent site, and more a matter of whether the organization engages in activities in places to which an unselected public is given an open invitation. Despite numerous additions and modifications to the LAD in the twentyfour years since Little League was decided, the New Jersey Legislature has not enacted a limiting definition of place. See Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Manzo, 122 N.J. 104, 116, 584 A. 2d 190 (1991) (stating that [t]he Legislature's failure to modify a judicial determination, while not dispositive, is some evidence of legislative support for the judicial construction of a statute .... [especially when] the Legislature has amended [the] statute several times without altering the judicial construction). We decline now to construe place so as to include only membership associations that are connected to a particular geographic location or facility. As the Appellate Division has so aptly pointed out, [t]o have the LAD's reach turn on the definition of `place' is irrational because `places do not discriminate; people who own and operate places do.' Dale, supra, 308 N.J.Super. at 533, 706 A. 2d 270 (quoting Welsh, supra, 993 F. 2d at 1282 (Cummings, J., dissenting)). A membership association, like Boy Scouts, may be a place of public accommodation even if the accommodation is provided at a moving situs. Little League, supra, 127 N.J.Super. at 531, 318 A. 2d 33. In this case it is readily apparent that the various locations where Boy Scout troops meet fulfill the LAD place requirement.
Our case law identifies various factors that are helpful in determining whether Boy Scouts is a public accommodation. We ask, generally, whether the entity before us engages in broad public solicitation, whether it maintains close relationships with the government or other public accommodations, or whether it is similar to enumerated or other previously recognized public accommodations. Broad public solicitation has consistently been a principal characteristic of public accommodations. Our courts have repeatedly held that when an entity invites the public to join, attend, or participate in some way, that entity is a public accommodation within the meaning of the LAD. See, e.g., Clover Hill Swimming Club, Inc. v. Goldsboro, 47 N.J. 25, 33, 219 A. 2d 161 (1966) (stating that [a]n establishment which by advertising or otherwise extends an invitation to the public generally is a place of public accommodation); Sellers v. Philip's Barber Shop, 46 N.J. 340, 345, 217 A. 2d 121 (1966) (stating that [a]n establishment which caters to the public or by advertising or other forms of invitation induces patronage generally is a place of public accommodation); Fraser, supra, 44 N.J. at 488, 210 A. 2d 208 (stating that [i]n light of the nature of the facilities and activities offered to the general public by respondent's day camp, we hold that it is a public accommodation); Little League, supra, 127 N.J.Super. at 531, 318 A. 2d 33 (stating that Little League is a public accommodation because the invitation is open to children in the community at large); Evans v. Ross, 57 N.J.Super. 223, 231, 154 A. 2d 441 (App.Div.) (stating that LAD requires an establishment which caters to the public, and by advertising or other forms of invitation induces patronage generally, [not to] refuse to deal with members of the public who have accepted the invitation), certif. denied, 31 N.J. 292, 157 A. 2d 362 (1959); see also Kiwanis Int'l v. Ridgewood Kiwanis Club, 806 F. 2d 468, 475 (3d Cir.1986) (stating that LAD applies whenever the organization or club ... invite[s] an unrestricted and unselected public to join as members); Brounstein v. American Cat Fanciers Ass'n, 839 F.Supp. 1100, 1107 (D.N.J. 1993) (stating that `primary [public accommodation] consideration' under LAD is `whether the invitation to gather is open to the public at large') (quoting Kiwanis Int'l, supra, 806 F. 2d at 474). BSA engages in broad public solicitation through various media. In 1989, for example, BSA spent more than $1 million on a national television advertising campaign. A New York Times article describes one of Boy Scouts'hip television ads, quoting a BSA spokesman as stating, scouting [is] a product and we've got to get the product into the hands of as many consumers as we can. [6] Kim Foltz, TV Ad's Hip Pitch: It's `Cool' to be a Boy Scout, N.Y. Times, Oct. 30, 1989. BSA has also advertised in widely distributed magazines, such as Sports Afield and Redbook. Local Boy Scout councils engage in substantial public solicitation. BSA frequently supplies the councils with recruiting materials, such as television and radio public service announcements, advertisements, and other promotional products. Monmouth Council, in particular, has expressly invited the public by conducting recruiting drives and by providing local troops with BSA-produced posters and promotions aimed at attracting new members. Boy Scout troops also take part in perhaps the most powerful invitation of all, albeit an implied one: the symbolic invitation extended by a Boy Scout each time he wears his uniform in public. See Sellers, supra, 46 N.J. at 345, 217 A. 2d 121 (finding that barber shop's pole extended implied invitation to public). A boy in a uniform may well be Boy Scouts' strongest recruiting tool. By encouraging scouts to wear their uniforms to school, and when participating in School Nights and public demonstrations, Boy Scouts invites the curiosity and awareness of others in the community. Boy Scouts admits that it encourages these displays in the hope of attracting new members. On the facts before us, it cannot be controverted that Boy Scouts reaches out to the public in a myriad of ways designed to increase and sustain a broad membership base. Whether by advertising or active recruitment, or through the symbolism of a Boy Scout uniform, the intent is to send the invitation to as many members of the general public as possible. Once Boy Scouts has extended this invitation, the LAD requires that all members of the public must have equal rights ... and not be subjected to the embarrassment and humiliation of being invited[,] ... only to find [the] doors barred to them. Evans, supra, 57 N.J.Super. at 231, 154 A. 2d 441. Boy Scouts is a public accommodation, not simply because of its solicitation activities, but also because it maintains close relationships with federal and state governmental bodies and with other recognized public accommodations. Our cases have held that certain organizations that benefit from relationships with the government and other public accommodations are themselves places of public accommodation within the meaning of the LAD. In Little League, for example, the court concluded that Little League was public in the added sense that local governmental bodies characteristically make the playing areas available to the local leagues, ordinarily without charge. 127 N.J.Super. at 531, 318 A. 2d 33, aff'd, 67 N.J. 320, 338 A. 2d 198 (1974). More recently, in Frank v. Ivy Club, 120 N.J. 73, 79, 110, 576 A. 2d 241 (1990), a female student sought membership in the all-male eating clubs at Princeton University. Although they did not publicly solicit new members, we held that the clubs' close relationship to the University, a place of public accommodation, rendered them subject to the LAD. Id. at 110, 576 A. 2d 241. It is clear that Boy Scouts benefits from a close relationship with the federal government. Indeed, BSA was chartered by Congress in 1916, 36 U.S.C.A. § 30901, and has been the recipient of equipment, supplies, and services from the federal government, also by act of Congress, 10 U.S.C.A. § 2544. Thus, the Secretary of Defense, 10 U.S.C.A. § 2544(a), and other departments of the federal government, 10 U.S.C.A. § 2544(h), have been authorized to lend to the Boy Scouts of America, for the use and accommodation of Scouts, Scouters, and officials who attend any national or world Boy Scout Jamboree, such cots, blankets, commissary equipment, flags, refrigerators, and other equipment and without reimbursement, furnish services and expendable medical supplies, as may be necessary or useful to the extent that items are in stock and items or services are available. [10 U.S.C.A. § 2544(a).] Since its inception, BSA has maintained a special association with each successive President of the United States. According to a BSA public relations fact sheet: One of the causes contributing to the success of the Boy Scouts of America has been the thoughtful, wholehearted way in which each President of the United States since William Howard Taft in 1910 has taken an active part in the work of the movement. Each served as Honorary President during his term in office. Another fact sheet states that seventyeight percent of the members of the 100th Congress participated in scouting. Boy Scouts also maintains a close relationship with the military. According to a BSA pamphlet entitled Organizations That Use Scouting, military personnel serve Scouting in many capacities. At many [Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Coast Guard] installations, facilities are available for Scouting shows, meetings, training activities, and other similar Scouting events. Monmouth Council, in particular, has used the New Jersey military installation known as Fort Monmouth. Likewise, state and local governments have contributed to Boy Scouts' success. [7] In New Jersey, the Legislature has authorized the Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife in the Department of Environmental Protection to stock with fish any body of water in this state that is under the control of and for the use of ... Boy Scouts, N.J.S.A. 23:2-3, and has exempted Boy Scouts from having to pay motor vehicle registration fees, N.J.S.A. 39:3-27. Local governmental agencies, such as fire departments and law enforcement agencies, serve Boy Scouts by sponsoring scouting units. Nationally, over 50,000 youth members belong to units sponsored by fire departments, whereas in New Jersey alone over 130 units are sponsored by fire departments and over 100 units are sponsored by law enforcement agencies. Perhaps Boy Scouts' connection to public schools and school-affiliated groups constitutes its single most beneficial governmental relationship. Organizations That Use Scouting advises that the education field holds our greatest potential. Boy Scouts currently recruits many of its members through its presence in and use of school facilities. A large percentage of scouting units nationally, as well as in New Jersey, are chartered by public schools and affiliated organizations. Moreover, public schools and community colleges often host scouting meetings, activities, and recruiting events such as School Nights. School Night for Scouting [is a] recruiting plan operated by many councils in connection with the schools. Under this plan, an open scout meeting is held at a school in order to encourage students to join scouting. Public schools not only aid Boy Scouts by allowing the organization to use their facilities after school, but also during the school day. According to Boy Scouts, [m]ore and more of our schools are becoming available for other than formal education.... Inschool Scouting, where the pack, troop, team, or post meets during the school day, is recognized in many areas. In 1992, close to 700,000 students throughout the nation were taught the Boy Scouts' Learning for Life curriculum during the school day. Given Boy Scouts' public solicitation activities, and considering its close relationship with governmental entities, it is not surprising that Boy Scouts resembles many of the recognized and enumerated places of public accommodation. Similarity to the places of public accommodation listed in the LAD has been a benchmark for determining whether the unlisted entity should be included. Cf. Board of Chosen Freeholders v. New Jersey, 159 N.J. 565, 576, 732 A. 2d 1053 (1999) (stating that [u]nder the ejusdem generis principle of statutory construction, when specific words follow more general words in a statutory enumeration, we can consider what additional items might also be included by asking whether those items are similar to those enumerated). In Fraser v. Robin Dee Day Camp , for example, this Court held that a day camp is the type of accommodation which the Legislature intended to reach because a day camp offers accommodations which have many attributes in common with swimming pools, recreation and amusement parks, motion picture houses, theatres, music halls, gymnasiums, kindergarten and primary schools, all of which are specifically enumerated in the LAD. 44 N.J. at 487, 210 A. 2d 208. The Appellate Division in Little League identified Little League's `educational or recreational nature' as a basis for the court's conclusion that Little League was similar to the types of public accommodations listed in the statute. 127 N.J.Super. at 531, 318 A. 2d 33 (quoting Fraser, supra, 44 N.J. at 487, 210 A. 2d 208). Similarly, Boy Scouts' educational and recreational nature, like the day camp in Fraser or the baseball teams in Little League, further supports our conclusion that Boy Scouts is a place of public accommodation under the LAD. See, e.g., Advancement Guidelines 4 (1992 ed.) (stating that [e]ducation and fun are functions of the scouting movement).