Judge Gives Rev. William Barber The Green Light To Continue Lawsuit Against AMC Theatres

AMC Theaters released a statement saying they are reviewing policies to ensure nothing like what happened to Barber happens to anyone else.

In a victory for disabled civil rights advocate Rev. William Barber II, a judge rejected a request from AMC Theatres for a lawsuit to be tossed out after being accused of not allowing Barber to use his own chair to watch a movie, WRAL News reports.

In an Oct. 7 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Terrence Boyle permitted the lawsuit, filed in 2024 in the Eastern District of North Carolina, to carry on. The suit is seeking $100,000 as Barber’s attorney, Harry Daniels, alleges a theater in Greenville, North Carolina, violated the Americans with Disability Act by requiring Barber to provide proof of his disability. In a statement, the civil rights advocate’s legal team said the theater should have recognized his condition. “Barber is afflicted with ankylosing spondylitis, a form of arthritis which causes inflammation in the joints and ligaments of the spine,” the statement read, according to CBS 17.

“Rather than recognize his condition, however, theater staff called the local police and had him escorted from the theater.”

The incident in question took place on Dec. 26, 2023. Barber was escorted out of the theater for not being allowed to use his own chair to watch a showing of the then-box office hit, The Color Purple. Escorting his 90-year-old mother, the former North Carolina NAACP president said he attempted to use the special chair in the theater’s handicapped section but was approached by an AMC staff member who told him he couldn’t.

The former leader at Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro has difficulty sitting in regular chairs due to persistent hip pain. He also uses two canes.

Officers from the Greenville Police Department were called, and Barber was escorted out of the building. Barber can be heard in a video of the incident saying “I am not resisting” and “I am non-violent” before he was seen walking out. The case drew national attention, with Barber’s attorney saying the religious leader was embarrassed. “I said to them, I can’t leave. My gut, my heart, my character, my commitment to justice will not allow me to leave this space when I know legally and morally I have a right to it,” Barber said at the time.

In response to the lawsuit, AMC Theaters released a statement saying it is reviewing policies to ensure nothing like what happened to Barber happens to anyone else. “AMC welcomes guests with disabilities. We have a number of accommodations in place at our theaters at all times, and our theater teams work hard to accommodate guests who have needs that fall outside the normal course of business,” the company said.

“We encourage guests who require special seating to speak with a manager in advance to see what can best be accommodated at the theater to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for the guest and those around them. We are also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to help ensure situations like this do not occur again.”