A woman from a viral video of a racist incident in Plano has reached a settlement with her attacker in a civil suit.
Esmerelda Upton approached four South Asian women, including Dr. Bidisha Rudra, outside the Sixty Vines restaurant in Plano three years ago. A video of the attack went viral on social media. Upton told Rudra and her friends to go back to their country.
“We don’t want you here,” Upton said. “If things are so great in your country, then stay there.”
Rudra’s attorneys said in a press release that they’ve reached a settlement in Rudra’s civil suit against Upton. The terms of the settlement aren’t available, but the matter has been resolved to both parties’ satisfaction according to the release.
Upton pleaded guilty to four state hate crime charges in a Collin County court last year. She was also convicted on three misdemeanor assault charges and a misdemeanor terroristic threat charge. She was sentenced to two years of community supervised probation and forty days in jail for each case. The jail sentences were served concurrently. She was also charged four fines totaling $2,000.
Rudra said in the press release that the trauma from the confrontation motivates her to stand up to racial hate. Her attorneys represented her pro-bono after a referral from The Alliance for Asian American Justice, a national organization that advocates for victims of anti-Asian hate crimes.
“This crusade against racism is far from over,” Rudra said. “I will stand as an ally and a voice for those who are too afraid or hesitant to speak out. “
Got a tip? Email Caroline Love at clove@kera.org.
Caroline Love is a Report For America corps member for KERA News.
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