Trump supporter sues NY Mets for $2 million over MAGA hat ban

Aura Moody, a Republican from Queens, said the team violated her right to free speech and caused her "emotional distress," according to a report by The New York Post.

"This country is supposed to be the beacon of freedom for all," Moody said.

Moody filed the lawsuit accusing the Mets of "racial discrimination," "political retaliation," and "reputational harm." She stated that on August 14, she and her friend attended a Mets game, both wearing MAGA hats, alongside eight members of the Queens Village Republican Club. After passing through security, a stadium staffer allegedly told them they couldn’t enter while wearing the hats. When Moody invoked her First Amendment rights, the staffer reportedly told her the hat was "too political" to be worn inside.

Reluctantly, Moody and her friend agreed to remove their hats, only to avoid inconveniencing their group. Moody asked if she could place the hat in her bag but was allegedly told, "No because you can put the hat back on when you get to your seat. You have to take the MAGA hat out of the stadium," according to court filings.

In her legal filing, Moody claimed she “knew she was being racially targeted and politically retaliated against for being a black woman wearing a MAGA hat, so she requested to speak to a supervisor.” The supervisor allegedly confirmed that the hat violated stadium policy. Ultimately, Moody and her friend had to call a friend they carpooled with to place the hats in the car.

However, Moody claimed that once she was seated for the game she noticed “white persons wearing MAGA hats and MAGA attire” in the stadium.

The Mets initially acknowledged the incident, saying the employee had made an error regarding the stadium’s attire policy. “We are reaching out to Aura Moody to apologize and invite her back to the ballpark,” the team said.

The Mets also apologized to Moody over the phone, confirming there is no policy against wearing MAGA hats and stating that the staff had been retrained. However, they have not commented on the lawsuit, per the New York Post.