believers from connecticut targeting maritime clubs.
Edible Arrangements co-founder sues Connecticut yacht club for alleged Muslim discrimination
HARTFORD, Conn. - A Muslim businessman and his wife are suing a Connecticut yacht club on allegations club board members rejected their membership application because of their religion and falsely claimed they supported terrorism.
Kamran Farid, a co-founder the fruit bouquet business Edible Arrangements, and his wife, Kara, sued the Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club in Branford in state Superior Court in August, alleging discrimination, racism and bigotry. They’re seeking a court order for the club to stop discriminating, undisclosed damages and a suspension of the club’s permit to sell alcohol.
Officials at the club deny the allegations, according to Farid’s lawyer, Chris Nelson. Officials at the club and the club’s lawyer, William Murrary, did not return phone and email messages seeking comment Tuesday.
Farid, 38, an American citizen who moved with his family to Connecticut from their native Pakistan in 1980 when he was 2, said he, his wife and their children became provisional members of the club in July 2013. The club, which was a short drive from their shoreline home in Branford, converted provisional members into regular members after two years, he said.
But in July of last year, Farid said he received a letter from the club saying his membership was ending and he was no longer allowed on club property. He said no reason was given.
“It hurt. My daughters were hurt,” he said Tuesday. “I didn’t know what to say to my kids. That hurt me more than anything, to sit there and explain to my kids they can’t play with their friends and they can’t go there anymore.”
Farid said he would later find out - through friends at the club and a court order for club documents - that some members of the club had urged the club board to reject his family’s membership. Some members made derogatory and racially insensitive comments about the Farids’ religion and national origin, including false accusations that the family supported terrorism, according to the lawsuit.
Farid said the allegation he supported terrorism through charitable contributions to Islamic groups first surfaced when he joined the club in 2013 and was quickly debunked.
He said his main goal with the lawsuit is to prevent what happened to his family from happening to others.
“At the end of the day, it’s just not right that this club can continue to do this to people,” he said.
Farid, his wife and four children now live most of the year in Reunion, Florida, and spend the summers at their Branford home.
Chris graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double major in Political Science and Sociology and then obtained his juris doctorate at Quinnipiac University School of Law. Chris represents clients in a broad range of legal matters including both transactional work and litigation. Chris has litigated cases in Connecticut’s Superior Courts, Federal Courts, Bankruptcy Courts, and Appellate Court. He has also represented clients in a number Administrative hearings before Connecticut State Agencies.
In addition to his legal practice, Chris is very active in the legal community and has served in a number of prominent roles in both the Connecticut Bar Association and the New Haven County Bar Association. He is a member of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association, the New Haven Inn of Court, and the Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Executive Board.
Bar Admissions:
• Connecticut, 2004
• District Court of Connecticut, 2005
• U.S. Tax Court, 2005
• Southern District of New York, 2006
• United States Supreme Court, 2010
• Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court, 2014
• Mohegan Gaming Disputes Court, 2015
• Connecticut, 2004
• District Court of Connecticut, 2005
• U.S. Tax Court, 2005
• Southern District of New York, 2006
• United States Supreme Court, 2010
• Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Court, 2014
• Mohegan Gaming Disputes Court, 2015
Education:
• University of Connecticut, B.A., 2000
• Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., 2004
• University of Connecticut, B.A., 2000
• Quinnipiac University School of Law, J.D., 2004
Bar Affiliations & Positions:
• Connecticut Bar Association
-House of Delegates, 2010-2013
-Technology Committee, 2008-2009
• New Haven County Bar Association
-Executive Committee, 2011-Present
• Connecticut Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
-Chair, 2013-2014
• Co-Chair Commercial Law/ Bankruptcy Committee 2007-10
• New Haven Young Lawyers
-President, 2009-2010
• Connecticut Trial Lawyers, 2005-Present
• New Haven Inn of Court, 2008-Present
• Connecticut Bar Association
-House of Delegates, 2010-2013
-Technology Committee, 2008-2009
• New Haven County Bar Association
-Executive Committee, 2011-Present
• Connecticut Bar Association, Young Lawyers Section
-Chair, 2013-2014
• Co-Chair Commercial Law/ Bankruptcy Committee 2007-10
• New Haven Young Lawyers
-President, 2009-2010
• Connecticut Trial Lawyers, 2005-Present
• New Haven Inn of Court, 2008-Present
Awards/Honors:• Recipient of New Haven County Bar Association President's Award, 2015
Civic & Community Involvement:
• Town of Hamden Technology Commission, 2007-2009
• Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Executive Board, 2007-Present
• Volunteer Work at New Haven’s Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen; Habitat for Humanity; and the Connecticut Veteran’s Legal Center
• Town of Hamden Technology Commission, 2007-2009
• Quinnipiac University School of Law Alumni Executive Board, 2007-Present
• Volunteer Work at New Haven’s Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen; Habitat for Humanity; and the Connecticut Veteran’s Legal Center
Contact Chris: chris@nelsonvotto.com
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