Opinion ID: 3064734
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: State-Law Civil Rights Claims

Text: [21] Plaintiffs next allege violations of their rights under sections 51.7 and 52.1 of California’s civil rights law, the Unruh Act. We affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment on each claim. California Civil Code section 51.7(a) states in pertinent part: All persons within . . . this state have the right to be free from any violence, or intimidation by threat of violence, committed against their persons or property because of political affiliation, or on account of any characteristic listed or defined in subdivision (b) or (e) of Section 51, . . . or because another person perceives them to have one or more of those character- istics. (emphasis added). Characteristics listed or defined in sections 51(b) or (e) are: sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, marital status, or sexual orientation. Cal. Civ. Code § 51(b), (e). Under the language of the statute, Plaintiffs were required to present evidence of “violence, or intimidation by threat of violence,” committed against Plaintiffs on the basis of a protected ground (here, race or national origin). As previously discussed in the First Amendment and Equal Protection analysis, the record supports neither requirement and Plaintiffs claim must fail. Section 52.1(a) provides a cause of action where “a person or persons, whether or not acting under color of law, interCORALES v. BENNETT 6481 feres by threats, intimidation, or coercion, or attempts to interfere by threats, intimidation, or coercion, with the exercise or enjoyment by any individual or individuals” of rights under federal or state law. Cal. Civ. Code § 52.1. As set forth above, however, Plaintiffs’ constitutional rights were not violated and, thus, there is no basis to support Plaintiffs’ cause of action under § 52.1.