Woman who refused to wear a mask files lawsuit to get half of barista's $100k GoFundMe tips

The woman who shamed a Starbucks barista last month for requiring her to wear a face mask inside the coffee house prior to being served wants half of the tips the barista received from online supporters. It was on June 22 when San Diego local Amber Gilles posted a picture of the barista on her Facebook captioned with: "Meet Lenin from Starbucks who refused to serve me cause I'm not wearing a mask. Next time I will wait for the cops and bring a medical exemption."

Her post has since been taken down after receiving massive backlash after it was shared and highly criticised by netizens.

The barista, identified as Lenin Gutierrez, gained much support from people who learned of the incident from which he became a recipient of a GoFundMe tip account set up by his supporters.
The account was set up by Matt Cowan, a resident from Orange County, in an effort to raise a virtual tip jar for the barista. The fund campaign was closed over a week ago, leaving Mr. Gutierrez with a pretty full tip jar amounting to $105,000 ( £83,400 ).

Not long after learning of this fundraiser, Gilles went on the trail of Gutierrez' tip money by pursuing a lawsuit to dip into half of the raised amount for the barista. Speaking to KGTV10 news this week, Gilles said, "I've been discriminated against. I'm the one who's sick." According to her, she had also set up a GoFundMe to raise money to pay for her lawyers. Sources have yet to find out if this account even exists.

As face masks are mandatory inside businesses in San Diego County, persons with medical issues may be exempt from this rule. In her defence, Gilles provided the TV network with documents to prove that she is not required to wear a mask. She presented results from a pelvic exam in 2015 due to an ovarian cyst along with a handwritten note from a chiropractor stating that Gilles "has underlying breathing conditions that prevent her from wearing a mask or any type of facial covering whatsoever."

After being questioned as to why a chiropractor gave the note for her breathing issue, Gilles' reason was "because they are dedicated to providing non-invasive personalised care and treatment." She quickly adds,"They are real doctors." The chiropractor however, has declined to speak about his client nor comment on the issue.

As for Gutierrez, the unfazed barista has since received his money from the campaign and plans to use it for studies in Kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton and pursue a long time dream of becoming a professional dancer as well as donate some to charity.