Belvedere settles profiling suit with Yema shop owners for $10k

Belvedere has agreed to pay $10,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by residents Yema Khalif and Hawi Awash over an incident of alleged racial profiling by police at the couple’s Main Street clothing store in August 2020.

The suit, filed in April 2024 in Marin Superior Court, was dismissed April 17 with prejudice, meaning Khalif and Awash can’t sue the city in the future for related claims. In settling, Belvedere made no admission of liability. Each party is responsible for their own attorney’s fees.

Belvedere paid $5,000 each to Khalif and Awash through its insurer, the California Intergovernmental Risk Authority, City Manager Robert Zadnik said. In a statement, Zadnik said the city “fully supports its Police Department” as well as Chief Jason Wu and Sgt. Jeremy Clark, all of whom were named as defendants in the suit alongside the city.

Clark did not respond to an email seeking comment by The Ark’s press time. Wu referred The Ark to Zadnik’s comment.

Neither Khalif nor Awash responded to voicemails seeking comment on the settlement. Their attorney, David C. Anderson, said in a phone interview Awash and Khalif “decided they had accomplished their primary purpose with litigation anyway with Tiburon.”

“Hopefully Belvedere will make the same kinds of changes Tiburon made on its own,” he said.

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