‘Dirty dancer’ case moves forward

MARSHALL – A Madison County woman banned seven years ago from a Marshall dance hall on allegations she had a sexually provocative way of dancing has won the right to go to trial with her lawsuit against the town.

The U.S. Court of Appeals has overturned the lawsuit’s dismissal in 2003, the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina said in an announcement this afternoon.

Rebecca Willis said in her lawsuit that the town of Marshall violated her civil rights by unfairly banning her for life from the town’s public music arena.

“I am thrilled with the court’s decision because I will finally get to tell a jury my side of the story,” Willis said in a statement issued by the ACLU. “The town has been persecuting me for over seven years now. My rights have clearly been violated, and I look forward to having my day in court.”

In December 2000, a town-appointed committee overseeing the Marshall Depot banned Willis from dancing or even setting foot inside the former train depot, which hosted live country and bluegrass music.

The committee said Willis’ dancing was too risqué.

Instead, the Court of Appeals wrote in its ruling this morning that “the record contains evidence that Willis’ dancing and dress were entirely appropriate and yet the (Town Depot Committee) took the extreme step of banning her for life without ever previously having informed her of what behavior of hers was objectionable, and that the board refused to reconsider the ban even after Willis promised to conduct herself appropriately and in conformance with whatever rules the Committee would adopt.”

Attorneys for Rebecca Willis are: Jon Sasser and Tom Segars with the law firm of Ellis & Winters in Raleigh; Marc Tucker with the law firm of Smith Moore in Raleigh; and Katy Parker, Legal Director for the ACLU of North Carolina Legal Foundation.