This case arose from a blog written by Baylee “Bay” Higginbotham (they/them) detailing their experiences working in a hair salon owned by the plaintiff, Alejandro “Ale” Bonilla. Brandy Austin Law Firm represented Bay after they experienced retaliation from Bonilla due to the contents of the blog.
In their blog, Bay recounted multiple instances of sexual assault perpetrated by Bonilla and the details of a coerced sexual relationship. Bay indicated that this type of behavior toward younger women in the hair styling industry was pervasive and that they were not the only victims of Bonilla’s attention. The blog alleges that Bonilla habitually dated young women, about 19-22 years old, and used his position of power as a salon owner to coerce them into sexual relationships.
Bay began writing the blog in 2021; as a form of retaliation against Bay, Bonilla filed a lawsuit for defamation against them, claiming the blog was a “hate campaign” and the alleged relationships and coercion were false.
Another layer of difficulty was added to the case with a barrage of spiteful personal attacks on Bay and their legal team, including nasty personal attacks against Ms. Austin. Bonilla carried his string of personal attacks into open court; in the court records are instances of him calling Bay “evil,” “gross,” “dishonest,” “admitted dope user,” and “pornography person.” Ms. Austin characterizes these attacks as an attempt to belittle and browbeat her and her client into capitulating to the demands in the suit. Ms. Austin and Bay stood firm against them, opting to pursue the matter through the civil court system.
The case went to trial on May 13, 2024, in the 153rd District Court of Tarrant County. Over the course of the two-week trial, Ms. Austin presented evidence demonstrating that Bonilla had a well-known history of sexual predation in the DFW hairstyling community. He has advertised services to children using sexually-charged campaigns and preyed on potential romantic partners barely out of their teens, and his reputation was already tarnished before Bay began posting their blog.
In addition to the evidence, Ms. Austin questioned multiple witnesses to Bonilla’s actions, including salon ex-employees who stated their own negative experiences with Bonilla and affirmed Bay’s allegations.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict in Bay’s favor. The blog will remain online, and Bonilla will not receive any compensatory damages.
The case is notable in the post-#MeToo climate; the jury verdict is a testament to the success of Ms. Austin and her legal team in litigating a case with the odds stacked against them and prevailing against a predator abusing their power.
