A Colorado woman charged with indecent exposure for playing Frisbee topless has been awarded a $50,000 settlement — the first damage settlement for a woman in the U.S wrongfully charged with being topless, local media reports.
Effie Krokos, a 20-year-old student, says the situation began on Sept. 26 when she was playing Frisbee in her fiance’s front yard in the 1100 block of Second Street Southeast in Loveland, Colo., while topless.
She allegedly got overheated and took off her shirt without thinking.
“I was like, ‘Oh it’s hot, he’s shirtless, why not just go for it?’” said Krokos.
Several hours later, unbeknownst to the future husband and wife — an upset neighbor reportedly called police on Krokos.
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‘It’s Not Okay To Treat Women This Way’: Effie Krokos Wins Settlement After Going Topless http://bit.ly/2NV3u5R
When an officer arrived, Krokos said she tried explaining a February Court of Appeals ruling that made it legal for a woman to be topless anywhere a man can be topless, but the officer, Greg Harris, reportedly dismissed her pleas and issued a summons for indecent exposure, according to CBS 4 Denver.
“I was really upset at the whole situation because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Krokos told the Loveland Reporter-Herald. “I was just playing Frisbee in my own yard with my fiance.”
The appeals ruling determined that Fort Collins’ nudity ordinance, which had prohibited women from showing their breasts — was in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment.