Feb 3, 2026
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals handed Justly Prudent's client, Randy Richardson, a major victory today, reversing a lower court decision that had thrown out his civil rights lawsuit against Prince George's County.
Richardson tried to open a restaurant and music venue called Town Hall Live at Iverson Mall in Temple Hills, Maryland, starting in 2020. County permitting officials told him he could not get the permits he needed until the mall fixed certain issues with the County. But while Richardson waited, stores like Shoppers World and CitiTrends opened in the same mall without any problems.
When Richardson asked why these businesses could open while he could not, county employees had no explanation. Instead of answers, Richardson got hit with thousands of dollars in fines for violations he says were either made up or trivial. One fine was for plugging in internet equipment.
The situation got so bad that a County official called Richardson to apologize, admitting that the permitting agency was "unnecessarily harassing" him and should not be "targeting" his business. The County initially offered Richardson $500,000 to settle, but he turned it down and filed a federal lawsuit instead.
A lower court threw out Richardson's case, saying he had no right to sue because he never formally applied for a permit. The Fourth Circuit disagreed. The appeals court found that Richardson did not need a formal denial letter to prove he was harmed. The real injury was the County treating him differently than other businesses because of his race and because he lacked political connections, while telling him any permit application would be pointless until issues outside his control were resolved.
The case now goes back to the trial court, where both sides have already gathered substantial evidence in discovery.
For the full press release and additional details, visit: https://www.justlyprudent.com/press-releases/fourth-circuit-reverses-in-favor-of-richardson-on-discrimination-claims-against-prince-georges-county