Local News in Brief : Anaheim : Teen-Ager Wins Case Against Disneyland

A judge has ordered Disneyland to pay $250 in damages to a Beverly Hills teen-ager who claims she was barred from entering the amusement park because her hair was dyed lavender and pink.

Tonya Slobod, 16, claimed her civil rights were violated by Disneyland in 1986 when a security guard refused to allow her to enter the Anaheim theme park. The guard said that Slobod’s multicolored hair could distract from the shows, according to the suit.

During a brief non-jury trial on Aug. 2, Slobod asked Orange County Superior Court Judge Tully H. Seymour to impose a $250 fine--the maximum permitted under the state’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits arbitrary class-based discrimination.

Seymour ruled Friday that Disneyland had arbitrarily discriminated against Slobod because of her hair color. He awarded her statutory damages plus legal fees.

Disneyland attorney Richard Clair said park officials are disappointed that the court found in favor of Slobod. He said Disneyland’s position remains that Slobod was denied admission to the park because of her overall appearance and conduct, not because of the color of her hair.

Slobod, who was 14 at the time, was stopped at the park turnstile by a security guard who told her that she could enter only if she covered her hair with a hat, her attorney said. Slobod refused, and she and her party left the park, according to her attorney, Kenneth J. Sargoy.