Texas Restaurant Owner Appeals $5,000 Fine For Starting Gay Rumor

A Texas restaurateur is asking the state Supreme Court to review a lower court ruling that let stand a $5,000 fine levied against her for publicly humiliating a loyal customer after she repeatedly questioned his sexuality and asserted that he was gay on numerous occasions.

Phong Van Meter, owner of Frank's Place in Alvarado, roughly 40 miles southwest of Dallas, filed a petition for review of a Court of Appeals decision in December that rejected her challenge to the lower court's ruling. Van Meter argued that sufficient evidence wasn't presented to allow the court to rule against her.