I'm a bikini barista and sued my city for $3million over its harsh dress code – nobody can make me cover-up at work
James Austin
Published Aug 31, 2026
BIKINI baristas have prevailed in a legal battle over their controversial dress code that was brought to court nearly six years ago.
Everett, Washington, located north of Seattle, will pay a $500,000 settlement to the owner and employees at bikini barista stand Hillbilly Hotties.
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The plaintiffs sought over $3million in damages and attorney fees for their suit, which argued that a dress code ordinance violated their First Amendment rights.
The 2017 policy threatened to fine "quick service facilities" which allowed owners and operators to wear clothing that revealed too much of their upper and lower body.
The Everett City Council and Mayor Cassie Franklin agreed last week to sign the new settlement agreement, which will no longer mandate that baristas wear at least tank tops and shorts.
However, the city will bring the dress code up to date with present lewd conduct standards that criminalize the display of too much of one's private parts.
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Business owners will also have to offer resources for employees with information on trafficking, according to The Associated Press.
"I am glad we’re for the baristas and against the people who are trying to get them to do things they don’t want to do,” City Council member Liz Vogeli said after the vote.
Matteson Hernandez, one of the Hillbilly Hotties employees involved in the suit, thought that living in America would protect her right to dress as she pleased.
“Some countries make you wear lots of clothing because of their religious beliefs,” Hernandez said in the initial legal complaint.
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“But America is different because you can wear what you want to wear. I wear what I’m comfortable with and others can wear what they are comfortable with."
The dress code ordinance was ruled unconstitutional by a federal court in October after various rulings in the courts, AP reported.
The City Council could appeal the court's decision, however, that could increase their tab in defending the ordinance, which has already reached $400,000.
The settlement “still gives us our best tool to require stand owners to make sure their employees are not engaging in illegal conduct,” the city attorney concluded.
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