Rebecca Willis won a $275,000 settlement from the town of Marshall, North Carolina this week. The lawsuit goes back 8 years when she was 56 years old and banned from the Marshall Depot Community Center for dirty dancing.
According to Willis, the town accused her of gyrating and simulating sexual intercourse while wearing a skirt and allowing a view of her underwear. Rebecca, on the other hand, considered her style “exuberant and flamboyant” and not obscene.
Like any self respecting woman whose civil liberties had been trounced upon, she engaged a lawyer and has spent years seeing the case bounced back and forth between a federal district court and the court of appeals. The case recently went before a 3-Judge Panel in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and they indicated it could move forward to trial to answer the question of whether the town violated her constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment by banning her from the music arena.
Her attorney Jon Sasser and The American Civil Liberties Union have announced that a settlement has been reached and the town of Marshall will pay her $275,000. In a statement Willis said, “This sends a message that the town should allow for diversity and free expression.”
With a town population of 831 and a median income of $25,000 per household, having to pay the settlement is a big deal.
See a photo of Marshall below and video of Willis busting a move.