Farid is the co-founder of Edible Arrangements.
AB Wire
A Pakistani American businessman, Kamran Farid, co-founder of Edible Arrangements, and his wife Kara Farid have filed a lawsuit against the Pine Orchard Yacht and Country Club, located in Branford, Connecticut, claiming he was denied full membership because of his race, religion and country of origin.
Phil Delise, the club’s president, said in a statement: “As a 501(c)(7) organization, we follow a long-established, non-discriminatory process when considering club membership. We strongly object to the allegations contained in the lawsuit and consider them to be without merit.”
The statement added, according to the New Haven Register, “We will be filing a formal response to the suit in the coming days and since this is a pending legal matter, we will not comment further at this time.”
The membership denial sparked a petition of protest that as of last week had been signed by 64 members of the prestigious club. It urged the board of governors to reconsider its decision.
“We believe the vote taken was done without the benefit of input from members who actually know Kamran and his family, and was the result of efforts by a small, non-representative group of members,” the petition said.
The document added: “It is our belief that the decision to deny the Farids a regular membership was without a proper basis. We are concerned that legal action taken against our club will likely garner unwanted media attention and hamper our efforts to recruit new members at a time when our membership rolls are down.”
The petition concluded: “We respectfully request that the board rescind its decision, allowing us and other members to write in support of the Farids, so that a fair and informed decision can be made.”
Those who signed the petition include Marna and Eric Borgstrom. She is president and CEO of Yale New Haven Hospital.
Some of the club members added comments to their signatures, reported the Register.
Dr. Michael Mollow wrote: “I challenge any club member who has not yet been introduced to the Farids, but has somehow formed an opinion, to meet them, talk with them, observe their family interactions, and not come away with the impression that this family represents all the ideal qualities that POYCC looks for in its membership. Can you imagine the discussion Mr. Farid had to have with his children?”
Farid has four children, ages 10, 8, 6 and 1. When reached at his second home in Florida — he also has a house in the Pine Orchard section of Branford — he said he and his family enjoyed a “provisional” membership at the club for two years before being denied regular, permanent membership in July 2015.
“My kids were all happy at the club and so was my wife,” he said. “I was too. It was a place to use the pool, to play golf, go boating and play tennis. My kids were in the sailing and tennis clubs. We all made friends there. It was very hurtful for me to have to tell my kids they couldn’t go there anymore, and why,” he added. “I’m just amazed it’s still going on in 2016.”
During those two years of “provisional” membership, he said, “I never had an issue there. There were no complaints, nothing on my record.”
Thus he said it was “clear” he was denied permanent membership “because of my nationality and my religion. I’m from Pakistan; I came here at age 2. I consider myself an American. I’m an American citizen. I consider myself a true American dream.”
He charged the membership denial was the work of a small group “that controls the club. They don’t want to bring diversity into the club. They have zero minorities.”
Farid also asserted he has seen “blatantly racist letters” that were sent to the board to oppose his membership. The New Haven Register has been unable to see the letters.
According to a source connected to the club who asked not to be named, a letter to the board accused Farid of “bad acts of conduct.”
Farid’s attorney, Chris Nelson, said he has read the letters. He charged they were part of an “orchestrated” effort to deny the Farids membership.
“They wanted to get him out and keep him out,” Nelson alleged.
In the lawsuit, Nelson wrote that during the Farids’ “provisional” membership, some club members “made derogatory and racially insensitive comments about the plaintiffs’ race, religion, color, national origin and/or ancestry, including that they were ‘Muslim and supported terrorism,’ that they would be practicing their religion on the club’s property; that Kara Farid and her three minor female children would be wearing hijabs (headscarves) to the club’s pool; and that if the club were to allow them to become regular members, they would propose more Muslims for membership.”
Nelson wrote Farid “has been labeled a supporter of terrorism and a terrorist sympathizer by some club officers, governors, and/or members.”
But Nelson added during an interview from his law office: “My client really does believe the overwhelming majority of the members are good and nice people. This was the act of a small, vocal minority.”
Nelson explained that anybody who wants to become a permanent member of the Pine Orchard club goes through the two-year “provisional” period. “To the best of our knowledge, there hasn’t been anybody ever before denied this transition” to permanent membership.
Nelson also said, “To the best of our knowledge, there are no minorities — no blacks, no Muslims — at Pine Orchard.”
Farid is seeking unspecified compensatory damages; a court order prohibiting the club from violating that cited state statute; and a court order suspending the club’s liquor permit.