COURTS & LEGAL

Law Banning Toplessness For Women Unconstitutional, Attorneys Argue

Nov 20, 2019, 7:56 AM

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah woman is fighting criminal charges after she said her stepchildren spotted her topless in her own home.

Deseret News reports that Tilli Buchanan’s lawyers asked a judge to declare a portion of Utah’s lewdness law unconstitutional, saying that it treats women differently than men for the exact same conduct.

The charges stem from an incident in 2018 when Buchanan and her husband were hanging drywall in their garage. Buchanan said the two of them took their shirts off in order to keep their clothes from getting dusty. Her three step-children, who were all younger than 13, saw her topless and asked why she wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“Tilli explained that she considers herself a feminist and she wanted to make a point that everybody should be fine with walking around their house or elsewhere with skin showing,” according to her attorneys’ court filings earlier this year.

The court documents say after the two had finished hanging the drywall, they showered, put on fresh clothes, and made dinner for the family.

This led to three counts of lewdness in front of a child, class A misdemeanor. If she’s convicted of the charges, she’ll have to register as a sex offender.

Buchanan’s lawyers said she wouldn’t be facing those charges if she were a man.

Attorney Leah Farrell with the ACLU of Utah said the state’s statute defines a part of a woman as “inherently obscene,” but on a man’s body it’s not.

“That really sets up an unequal, unfair dichotomy,” she said.

Farrell argued that Utah’s law violates Buchanan’s 14th Amendment right to equal protection. She said it’s similar to a case in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the city banned women, but not men, from being topless in public. That ban was found unconstitutional by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The judge is expected to make a decision in the case in the coming months.

KSL 5 TV Live

Top Stories

Courts & Legal

FILE: A customer purchases a gun at Freddie Bear Sports on April 8, 2021, in Tinley Park, Illinois....
Associated Press

Connecticut sues Utah firearm company in ‘ghost gun’ lawsuit

Connecticut has sued four gun companies, one in Orem, Utah, accusing them of mailing illegal firearm parts with no serial numbers to an undercover state investigator.
25 days ago
FILE - A JetBlue Airways Airbus A320, left, passes a Spirit Airlines Airbus A320 as it taxis on the...
David Koenig

US sues to block JetBlue from buying Spirit Airlines

The Biden administration is suing to block JetBlue Airways from buying Spirit Airlines, saying the deal would reduce competition and drive up air fares for consumers.
25 days ago
The parents of a 14-year-old with severe disabilities have filed a lawsuit claiming the Davis Schoo...
Kaitlyn Bancroft

Parents claim Davis School District denied their daughter lifesaving care, in new lawsuit

The parents of a 14-year-old with severe disabilities have filed a lawsuit claiming that the Davis School District is denying their daughter potentially lifesaving accommodations.
27 days ago
Warner Bros. Discovery filed a lawsuit against Paramount, claiming the rival media company breached...
Ramishah Maruf

‘South Park’ lawsuit: Warner Bros. Discovery sues Paramount for $500 million

Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. is suing Paramount, claiming its competitor aired new episodes of "South Park" after Warner paid more than $500 million for exclusive rights in 2019.
1 month ago
A car is upside down in a corral....
Emily Ashcraft,

Jurors can hear about meth in driver charged with killing 2 young boys, judge rules

A judge ruled Thursday that jurors will be allowed to hear about results of a blood test of a man charged with causing a crash that killed two young Eagle Mountain boys who were playing together with toy trucks in a corral.
1 month ago
FILE...
Cassidy Wixom

University of Utah announces $5M settlement for international student who was killed

The University of Utah announced Tuesday it reached a $5 million settlement with the family of an international student who was killed last February. Another student has been charged with murder in her death.
1 month ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...
PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.
Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...
BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.
Close up of an offset printing machine during production...
Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.
vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...
Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.
Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...
Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.
notebook with password notes highlighted...
PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.
Law Banning Toplessness For Women Unconstitutional, Attorneys Argue