As previously reported, seven Arab males were allegedly ejected from a Denny's restaurant and given the following explanation: "We don't serve bin Ladens here." These men have filed suit, arguing in part that Restaurant Collection, Inc., (which does business as Denny's) and the manager who offered this crude explanation violated the Florida Civil Rights Act of 1992 (FCRA), which generally prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, and national origin.

The law firm of Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., which is representing the plaintiffs, has provided us with the complaint [pdf] that was filed in Florida circuit court. The complaint describes the incident in detail, how this alleged conduct contravenes the requirements of the FCRA, and the relief that the men seek.

(To our knowledge, this is the first time the complaint has appeared in the blogosphere or anywhere else on the Internet.)

UPDATE: The Boca Raton News is reporting that the plaintiffs in this case are fiercely denying Denny's statement that it commissioned an immediate investigation of the alleged discrimination.

The incident occurred on January 11, 2004 and the plaintiffs filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations that month. However, Denny's did not initiate any contact with the men until June 1, 2004. One of the plaintiffs says "it was a full 11 months" before a private investigator hired by Denny’s contacted them to begin a formal investigation.