CHESAPEAKE, Va. — The group of nine Black women who say they experienced racial discrimination while dining at Cork & Bull Chophouse in Chesapeake in November 2025 filed a $5 million lawsuit on against the restaurant Tuesday.
“I think they were hopeful at one point, that there may be some resolution. Now, they’re a little sad that we had to get to this point," Joyvan Malbon-Griffin, the attorney representing the nine women said.
Watch related: Racist allegations against Cork & Bull Chophouse spark protests as nine women involved consider legal action
"Plaintiffs were lawful, paying patrons who were expelled from Defendants' restaurant solely because of racialized assumptions, despite having no involvement whatsoever in a physical altercation that occurred between unrelated customers," the lawsuit states.
Shakoya Somerville-Holt, one of the plaintiffs, told News 3 in a previous interview that the incident happened when she and eight friends were having dinner at the restaurant on Nov. 6, 2025.
Shortly after, Somerville-Holt said two other Black women at a nearby table got into a fight. Despite not knowing the women involved in the altercation, Somerville-Holt said restaurant management also told her group they had to leave.
All the women in Sommerville-Holt's group were dressed in white tops and denim bottoms, making them "visibly distinguishable from all other patrons," the lawsuit states.
"The management came over to our table and told us that they will not be servicing us tonight, that we had to leave," Somerville-Holt said in a previous interview with News 3. "I questioned, 'are you shutting the entire restaurant down for tonight?' 'No, we're just not serving you all, because y'all like to fight.'"
After police arrived, they confirmed the women had no involvement in the fight and allowed them to collect their things.
According to the lawsuit, Dallas Walton, a Cork & Bull chef, approached the women aggressively while they were gathering their belongings and said, "I run this [expletive]" and "Get the [expletive] out."
Multiple restaurant patrons expressed sympathy to the women and left the restaurant in protest.
At least one of the plaintiffs was treated medically for stress, and others sought out counseling, according to the lawsuit.
"Many of them still have not dined out, even in the holiday season, for fear that that same incident could happen again," Malbon-Griffin said.
The plaintiffs are seeking $5 million in damages for malicious and reckless conduct.
Chesapeake Neighborhood Reporter Erin Holly went into Cork & Bull and spoke to the manager on duty. He said the restaurant is aware of the lawsuit and has no comment at this time.
“Whatever the motive was behind the lack of public accommodation, does not need to happen again," Malbon-Griffin said.
