Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 28, 2011

That may not be the smart thing to do there, Toni.

WHOA! BRING IT ON TONI.

Mmmrrrowwwww!!!!

Catfight on the prowl!

Whoa! Interesting development. I figured Ann would only hit on people she thinks she can manipulate (like a naive high school girl or an out-of-work firefighter whose willing to put up with anything for a paycheck). Apparently Ann’s into anything that moves.

She’s certainly into manipulating anything that moves.

wow, Toni sure has changed…………. she used to be somewhat submissive to Dirk, now she seems definitely not submissive to ANYONE now

The Common Law definition of Assault is, “A harmful or OFFENSIVE touching”. Seems Toni used self defence to save hersef from the criminal assault. Can WW stand the lawsuit? Continued in our next installmeny.

Wow, Toni Daytona might get arrested

Ann touched her first.

Ms Awful better go check her panties. I think she just soiled them! LOL

Toni doesn’t take any crap from anyone…and THIS proves it!!

Assault: The unwanted touch, violent or not, by another person.Arrest: Taking into physical custody by an officer of the law.Officer of the law in many joursdictions includes firefighters.

Eiffle has just been busted!

Oh boy!!! Popcorn time!!!

Toni’s too classy to let it go beyond a battle of wits.

Toni as a firefighter, can site Weenie World for failure of the fire codes. And corporate will take action against the mangerfor not following the rules.

I see police cars in Toni’s future. They are coming to her station house to arrest her for excessive stupidity. Later Brad will explain to TJ that Toni has been arrested and Brad has been fired and TJ will have to explain that he caused the whole thing – again.

The Luann comic sure is changing.

Toni you have come onto another womans turf to threaten her. You have opened yourself to being bodily removed from the resturant. And they will ask you to leave once,and then start shoving you towards the door. And in case you didn’t realize it – Brad just got fired. And you both are banned from WW for life.

About time!

I wanna reply to all previous (and all good) comments. Toni has been abused before and damned if she will tolerate that again. She was very clever to wait until Ann touched her (= assault!). I am not a fan of physical reactions to any kind of abuse, but Ann started it, and she has just copped a shot of how strong a pretty woman firefighter really can be. Ann would have to be truly shocked.

@mojitobaby – My sky is blue, most of the time. I believe you’ve had too many of those mojito’s. WW is not a state park or a public accomodation. It is a place of business owned by another individual. Owner’s of these places have the responsibility of providing BOTH their patrons AND their employees with a safe place to work and eat. Those who threaten the safety, for whatever reason, can be banned. And if you think that you can just go into resturants to chat up the help without making purchases, you’ll find yourself stopped at the door, too.

Did anyone else notice the 99-cent special?.Now Ann will take it out on Brad. THAT is what TJ needs to get on videotape.

All going to TJ’s grand scheme which should unfold in the next few panels. Will it work or will it backfire? Only time will tell.

Toni was smart enough to wait until Annie Awful let herself smugly commit simple assault. Toni is now within the limits of self-defense as long as she doesn’t escalate. The look on Annie’s face in panel 3 suggests that Toni has made her point for now. The next move is Annie’s.

Catfight

YEOW! Toni SAID the “eye full”!!! LOL….and YES. Ann is into girls – she caressed Toni in an intimate way. Big mistake. Very inappropriate and unprofessional and the way she said “Don’t worry your pretty face” is so patronizing and sexual when said to another woman. I agree in that Toni had the right to grab her hand and tell her to f****** back off. Ann was not in the position to touch her at all – no reason to.

RagnaroCker said (in part…);

“….now that things had progressed this far, Toni could still be banned from the premises, and next time the police could ne called, perhaps under false pretenses.” … Unless ;

A. Filing a FALSE POLICE REPORT is what she’d had in mind… (or) -B. Having a COP THERE to witness Ann’s behavior to Toni (courts LOVE when an “Officer of the Court” is WITNESS! – Takes almost ALL ‘doubt’ out of the case.C. Anns LAWYER finds out that there was a COP THERE and he witnessed Ann’s behavior to Toni (Defense Attorny’s HATE when an “Officer of the Court” is WITNESS! – Takes almost ALL ‘doubt’ out of the case. (Your Honor, I SAW it, and this is what happened…")

Kick Ass Toni

Ann started the min. she put a hand onToni. Now Toni is defending her self.

i do!

Drat. Another morning where the comments appear but the comic doesn’t. What causes that?

Isn’t Dirk NOW a cop ? Maybe he will get the call of a disturbance at WW .

Catfight! Catfight!

HEY!!!

What kind of “Resturant” IS this Anyway?!?

The Coffee’s Cold, kids throwin’ food, and Now THESE two Bimbos are Fighting are FIGHTING in the middle Dining area!!

WHERES the Manager?!?

I DEMAND to SEE the MAN……,

Oh……,

I think the store has a video camera and Ms Eifel is going to turn this around on Toni, and try to get her fired from the fire dept!

To be continued…

I hope all of you who are backing Toni up are right about this. My guess is that Ann is more in control right now than any of you realize. Generally, the one who resorts to physicle threats is the one who is acting out of desperation. But frankly, I hope all of you are right, and that there is egg all over my face.

Take her DOWN Toni! Now where did I put that popcorn?

DOn’t mess with Toni’s man! (way to go Brad! Hot and kicks butt FOR YOU!)

I’m baaack! I was Schrodinger on the other site but for some reason could never get my account to work here, sooo… now I’m Loki! Anyway— I’ve been following this ever since the move. My thoughts… Toni will lose her job as a firefighter (for bogus reasons because Ann Eiffel is a witch with a capital B). This will make an opening for Brad at Toni’s station— but Brad is now in a difficult position: firefighter, the job he loves, or Toni, the woman he loves. Hmmm, tough call! Stay tuned, sports fans!

Ann started this when she touched Toni so legally toni is in the clear BUT if Ann complains to the Fire Dept or the City Manager, Toni may suffer. Luann and friends need to come into the scene about now.

You go Toni!!!!!!!

luv it

Oh, Ms. Eiffel… while you’re at it, fetch me a latte. Now.

Brad gets fired.Fights with Toni.Loses Toni.

OR

AE calls the cops and guess who shows up?

Dirk.

Well, we now have two unemployed fire fighters. Oh wait, Brad will get Toni’s job now that she’s fired.

Yay, Eiffel “initiated unwanted physical contact,” so Toni is now legally in self-defense mode! And all the while TJ MUST be somewhere with a video camera…..

Come on Toni! Whoop that girl’s butt!

Hey Bird… how did you add that popcorn smiley?

As long as Brad doesn’t get ticked off that Toni is defending him, all is good.

Has anyone seen Doctor11’s popcorn?

Nice grip, baby. I’ve broken a couple of guys’ wrists from THAT one. And I would have, in that case…Annie the corporate bully..aka ‘any corporate bully’…is in ’way over their sweet heads…go OWS…

Go Toni.. Though I think the next step is going to be Brad impending unemployment….

Yay! Go Toni!

I tend to see some POSITIVES but also some NEGATIVES with Toni’s response today…… Her suggestion about talking to corporate headquaters was positive….. BUT, in the touching incident, Toni SHOULD NOT have put her hand on Eiffel’s arm. That is in reality doing the exact sort of thing Eiffel did to her. This is the aspect that Toni has done that IMHO is negative. She should have simply stepped back (out of Eiffel’s reach) and THEN said the same thing she did in panel four. THAT would have been the positive way to handle the situation. So, overall… I think Toni did a good job, but…. her holding onto Eiffel’s arm could become a problem.

Does Jerry Springer have his people watching this?

someone call the fire department; there’s a cat about to get thrown up into a tree

There goes brad’s job, good going Toni!!

I agree with Barbara; besides I think the strength in Toni’s grip on her wrist (with a possiple light twist) was plenty to show Ann she’d better not mess around with this one. I hope so!

Spoiler Alert!****************Toni throws Ann into a wood chipper tomorrow. Weenie World has a one day special topping the day after.

You read it here, folks.

I find it very interesting that Toni can talk about Weenieworld corporate and keep a straight face.

And Ms. Eiffel should be very careful. Toni could snap her like a twig.

I’m seeing this as Brad will be forced to choose between Toni and Weenieworld. There’d better NOT be a choice there, Brad. Toni is the best (and right now only) good thing that’s happened to you.

I do agree that it was a mistake for Ann to touch Toni. With the zero-toleance policies of today, that simple condecending chin-touch of Ann, Toni may have been able to give Ann a good solid punch without legal reprisal. However, since she stopped the touch by grabbing Ann’s wrist, any further hitting on Toni’s part would be ruled assult.

Looking good there won’t be fight I still think TJ is in the background some where. Will have to wait until tomrrow.

Hi everyone, first comment, long follower of the adventures of this delightful strip. First as one who has law practice experience, let me say that assault in most states is defined as threatening to commit bodily harm; the actual touching is battery. In this case miss Eiffel touched Toni first, and that would be a battery in Illlinois, and in most states. When Toni grabbed her arm that could be self-defense although when Toni threatens Ms Eiffel that is an assault legally. Anyway I don’t care about the legalities so much, I wanna see the fight!! Then see how Greg Evans ties this up. Man Brad being fought over, but this time its females doing the fighting! What a role reversal, but all the more reason I love this strip. The characters are developed characters you love to follow, villian or heroine.

tomorrow Lue and Bern show up, and Ann goes to Bern, starts crying on Bern’s shoulder, and says “Bernice!!!!!!!!!! Brad’s girl is being mean to me” snicker

Catfight… Catfight!!

Just don’t leave any bruises. Message received. Toni is willing to kick butt for her man, right on! Brad is one lucky dude.

Toni is channeling Dirks anger, maybe she shouldnt have listened to TJ

I think two slaps, one with the palm and the other with the back of the palm across her face would be the perfect response. Oh, that would be lovely.

An eyeful for an Eiffel – clever pun, Toni !

She’s OK. Ann touched her first.

Do Not Mess With Female Firefighters. They have to be twice as tough as the guys to make it.

I suppose that’s true in the comics. I know it in real life.

I thought assault was a verbal attack and battery was a physical attack. Are both these women in trouble?

You go, Toni! Ann Effiel’s too much of a chicken to fight back. :D

Toni is my hero. I’m tempted to order the T-shirt…

record cleared – how? Jail time is a permanent record.

time to switch story line.

Why is this taking so long? i want to see tomorrows cartoon already!!!!!!! So much suspense

Maybe this is where TJ comes in and he is making his own video to to be an iron clad witness to Assault. Could be…we don’t know what he’s cooking up. He is a sneaky little bugger in his own right.

Brad is so gonna lose his job!

“While it is true that a restaurant is not a “public accommodation,” ….only the owners can ban someone….An unwanted and/or unsolicited touch is trouble. Ann’s patronizing way of doing it would have been a provocation, and would be grounds for self-defense….Toni could get written up or fired for her actions. Ann could get jailed.”

Sorry, you’re wrong on all counts. 1) A restaurant that provides goods and services to the general public is a de facto public accomodation, and as such can’t arbitrarily refuse service. Private ownership doesn’t allow it to make arbitrary and discriminatatory decisions re service. Signs stating it can refuse to serve anyone doesn’t give it any extra rights and won’t keep the courts from ruling against its decision.

2) Refusing to serve someone has nothing to do with the owners making the call vs. the manager making the decision, since the manager represents the business. A manager can refuse to serve a patron who’s drunk and remove one who threatens the safety of the customers.

3) Ann’s provocation has nothing to do with anything since she was the one who touched Toni in an unsolicited manner first, she didn’t incite Toni to assault her.

“c’mon folks …no judge would waste time with this as a complaint in court. So 2 women got into a tiff over a guy ..big deal!”

Assault is assault, and while a prosecutor might decline to bring charges if there are no witnesses, it won’t be because the state has a misogynistic and dismissive view that it’s just 2 dames fighting over a guy. Toni’s a municipal worker who’s being refused service in a public accomodation, who was summarily assaulted by the manager after she stated she would inform WW of her arbitrary decision.

“Oh, one last thing: the comment about “Weenie World Corporate” IS* a threat. Unless Toni called or wrote first, it is a threat. Do it first, then say it. It’s not a threat, it’s a fact. That was an error by Toni.”

A threat can often be effective as a warning when someone’s doing something illegal,a s long as the threat doesn’t make someone afraid of physical harm. Toni’s threatening to inform WW wasn’t an error. She informed Ann that her arbitrary refusal of service wasn’t legal, and that she intended to report it. What exactly she was going to tell them about Brad is sort of nebulous, but she has a right to object to not being served and to tell Ann there will be consequences to her decision.

Tell her off, Toni.

Yes….Give her an earful Toni !!!

Mud wrestling anyone?

Have we hit a record for comments today? At this point it’s over 140. Obviously, the readers have a variety of senarios in mind. One senario I fear is that Greg will install a cliff hanger tomorrow and move back to another arc. Don’t do it Greg. We’re too worked up. We need to see how this plays out.

I am surprised the cartoonist is taking this turn. Being a firefighter, Toni know the criminal rules. She is smart and should be able to solve this without violence. It also makes Brad look bad that he can’t take care of things himself, like work elsewhere or confront Eiffel.

@Chuck373 – I try not to have any scenarios in mind. Those invented by the commenters here seem largely implausible (day after day, and I practically never read them), but we’ll see.:@Ella Reff – Toni is smart, but it may end up violent. In this context, Brad is clueless, and apparently can’t get himself out of this situation on his own. I agree, it is Brad who should be changing this situation, not Toni, but the poor boy is obviously in over his head at this point.

I just hafta make the comment that this arc shows Toni’s support for “her man” and that’s important to us guys. We don’t always have to carry the whole burden when we have loved ones to provide support. And don’t give up on Brad just yet – His dad, Frank has been berated and every once in awhile shows he is made of sterner stuff.

There is a difference between tortious assault and criminal assault. Any unwanted touch allows you to sue for tort damages. But in order to get a DA to pursue charges you’re going to need some reasonable belief of imminent harm, as is required in most criminal statutes. Otherwise the DA is opening him/herself up for a lawsuit for frivolous prosecution.

If I was Toni, I’d tell “Eye Full” that she was overhead, and I was profit…and HQ would be getting a nasty-gram from me…Worked that way and the golden arches once!!!

Ann has a history of being abusive to employees, you have Bernice and Zane as a witness’s. Ann’s history of bad acts that can be laid at the foot of her employers. They knew or should have known of her predeliction for abusive behavior of employees. Therefore a lawsuit against her and the corporation could be effective. As for any charges against Toni, she has the right to use “reaspnable force” to combat Ann’s assault. What ever “Reasonable” is up to a jury.

Toni is one bad chick! Yay, for her!

Toni is such a moron this whole childish thing is going to cost her her job but I guess at least that means Brad will get an open position.

Also, pretend today is the very first Luann strip you’ve ever read in your life. Doesn’t Toni look like the bad guy here? It all reeks of her acting like a she-Dirk.

who says there are no witnesses? Just because you can’t see them in the panel doesn’t mean they aren’t there. There are certainly employees doing their jobs & this town seems to be small enough for everyone to know Brad & Toni are an item & have seen what’s been happening with Eiffel, so to have the boss & Brad’s girlfriend in a confrontation is bound to be drawing a lot of attention from them, even if the customers who are presumably enjoying their 99 cent dogs aren’t. But I tend to lean towards those posts that suggest that TJ is somewhere in the back ground setting this up. Get Eiffel on tape harassing Toni & then punishing Brad for the comeuppance she received from Toni.

Partly because of double-standards, but mostly because Greg doesn’t seem to notice that he’s written Toni to be a hotheaded lunatic just to get her to partake in a pointless catfight cause he thinks its hot.

1. Dirk was abusive to Toni as well as anyone else that he could bully whenever he felt like it.2. Dirk was the aggressor in Brad’s case3. Toni did not assault Ann, she was the victim of another aggressor’s assault.4. Toni is not doing this because Ann “flirted” with Brad, she has never witnessed that & I doubt Brad has told her about it.5. Ann has arbitrarily kept Brad from spending a break with his girlfriend as well as dragged him away from serving a customer because it was a friend of his.

Employees are allowed 15 min. breaks once a day on part time & twice a day on full time along with a lunch break.

Customers can come into a restaurant that employs their friends as long as they are purchasing something & should not feel threatened or belittled by management. Any restaurant that tells a customer that they aren’t allowed to come into the place because their friend works there is looking for a boycott if not a lawsuit.

And for those who think Toni’s going to get fired over this should remember that if there are witnesses Toni would have a lawsuit for being dismissed without cause & if there aren’t any witnesses then it’s a case of she says she says & I think her bosses would be inclined to back her up.

Oh, I getcha. It came across as being dismissive of a “catfight” what with all the ‘meow’ comments on this board. A light touch is neither here nor there, techncially it’s still an assault – and of course Toni’s threat to punch her in teh eye is one as well. O f course prosecutors only want to take on cases they think they can win, but using the civil courts to obtain damages for criminal acts is another story.

Actually when TJ was inside the restaurant talking to Brad, Brad was packing a to-go bag for him, seems to be a paying customer to me. Ann then called him away from that customer. Toni’s been in there, what, 3 times? Brad’s first day to congratulate him, he took a break, which is allowed by law & Ann didn’t like it. The 2nd time I remember, she may or may not have come in to buy something, but was told she wasn’t allowed there for no legitimate reason, that was Ann’s 2nd mistake, this is the 3rd time, again she may or may not have been planning on buying something but never got the chance because Ann waylaid her & told her to get out, that is not only discriminatory it’s down right STUPID business practices on Ann’s part. She is the aggressor in all of this, not Toni. People come to places of business & actually talk to their friends while being waited on by them. If the company wants the business (& there’s no proof TJ & Toni HASN’T purchased anything) they allow a couple minutes of chit chat as long as the place isn’t overly busy (again no evidence that Brad is shirking his duties by talking to them).

And yeah it is Ann’s fault if Brad doesn’t get his 15 minutes of break time in a 4 hour shift or 2 15 min. breaks in an 8 hour shift as well as a minimum of 30 min. lunch in an 8 hour day. How would you like it if someone told you you weren’t allowed to do what you want on your break or tell you you can’t have a break or cut your break short because they didn’t like you talking on your cell phone or visiting with a customer or having a cigarette. It’s your break & as long as you aren’t doing anything wrong during it, management has no right to dictate how you use it.

“TJ and Toni have never purchased anything from Weenie World. When have either of those two been paying customers? Right, never.”

“All those two do is keep Brad from doing his work, and Ann rightly tells Brad to stop wasting time and get back to work.”

“Oh yeah, Ann patted Brad, who never complained, and actually enjoys it.”

“That’s why Toni, whom Brad never asked to beat up Ann on his behalf, is justified in beating up Ann”.

Toni was a paying customer at WW before Brad got hired, and continued to be one when he was working his shift. Ann took exception to him talking to his gf and told him she wasn’t allowed to eat at WW any more, but since he was being pelted with fries by a kid at the time he was sweeping up, I sort of fail to see how Toni’s presence impacted on his doing his job, do you?

Ann gave no real reason for barring his gf from the premises, but we assume it’s because she knows she’s a rival for Brad’s “devotion”. Toni reminded Ann she was a paying customer the last time she was there when Ann told Brad to tell her she wasn’t welcome, and Ann retreated and comped her a meal. Now she’s telling her again she’s not welcome unless she intends to purchase something, which isn’t a great attitude for a manager in a hospitality and service industry – nor is it smart since she isn’t greeting any other customers in the same manner.

Brad referred to Ann as “picking on him” and if you can find anything that shows he enjoyed being caressed by his boss, bring it. Toni isn’t “beating up Ann” – but since she’s the one who’s been patronized and touched, I’m sure she feels another assault wold be justified.

And you call most everyone who reads Luann and doesn’t see Toni as the agressor here, “stupid”? Are you reading the same strip the rest of us are or are you just making sh!t up and trolling for effect?

The First 10 Amendments actually do apply directly to a business (for example, law authorities need search warrents and can’t seize property without one, a business can keep a licensed firearm on the premises, etc.) but the Civil Rights Acts of 1984 is the one that every restaurant has to comply with.

I also noticed “sherpalepisto” just started today, so based on the general tone of comments made so far, I question their integrity as well.

At last count, comments here numbered 183. While numerous, it’s a long ways from the number of comments we used to have at the Pibgorn comic, before comments were shut down. I don’t remember the exact count, but I know we got well over 1,000 at one point.

And if you try to citizen arrest me, I have the right to defend myself. You cannot hid behind the concept of citizen arrest, you assume the rtisk of injury and civil and criminal penalties, and I’ve worked in the legal system too.

I “love” also how it has to be “girl vs. girl,” it couldn’t be Tony versus a male boss or something (has to be someone on her level).

A wrestling match in baked beans!

Bring It On!!Go Team Daytona!!!

Are we going Kill Bill here? Lol…

And you know TJ has filmed the whole confrontation, the unwarranted banning, the threat, and the assault. Think it’ll hold up in court, or at least the WW corporate office?

Could Ann obtain a restraining order against Toni?

“no judge would waste time with this as a complaint in court. So 2 women got into a tiff over a guy….big deal”I’m thinking a court appearance before Judge Judy or one of the other celebrity judges.

how can Toni have a battle of wits with an unarmed person?

Firefighters go through strenuous physical training and are quite fit. Ms. Effiel should not be too condescending. I might say Toni might leave a gripping impression.

Round one.Technically, when the manager touched her cheek that is assualt.

other

I see nothing wrong with finding a septic tank to dump one nasty cow of a manager in.

Of course I’ve heard of citizen’s arrest – and just how is it applicable here? It means you have to physically detain someone until the cops show up, and unless the person you’re attempting to detain was holding up a bank, committing arson or rape, you’re going to have problems with a countersuit.

Jeez, dude, please do your homework. I not only think you’re wrong, I effing know it.

You ARE wrong, because bars do NOT serve “the general public”, nor do nightclubs, so by definition they aren’t "public accomodations. They have a specific and limited clientele – restricted to over 21, or over 18, depending on the drinking age in the state.

If you have a restaurant business that dispenses goods and services to the general public, and it’s nor a private club by invitation or subscription, then it makes no damn difference if it’a a private company or public conglomerate, it’s a de facto public accomodation. Arbitrary banning or refusal of service is a discriminatory act, and unless the person has been caught stealing , is drunk, noisome, or is otherwise threatening the health and safety of your customers, be prepared to provide some attorneys with a nice living with the fruits of your abundant ignorance.

What you do in the privacy of your own home is your business – you don’t have to have ramps to accomodate the handicapped or meet any other public standards, but if you open your home to the general public as a restaurant, be prepared for a rude awakening. Sorry you’ve been on the “other” side of the law, but since you’re woefully ignorant of it and refuse to accept any facts to the contreary, I’m not exactly surprised to hear it. Get an attorney to explain it to you in short words of no more than one syllable.

I’m confused – you’re talking about business owners one minute and then “working at” a business the next.

The owners of a business are covered – cops can’t show up and seize restaurant work records or supplies without a warrant, nor can they conduct searches for illegal workers without one, so your employment recordsare somewhat protected from unreasonable search and seizure.

As for employees’ stuff being searched for theft of goods, the employers provides the lockers, etc, that the employee stows their stuff in, and the idea is that the employee has no, or limited, expectation of privacy in that part of the workplace. However, if you find your employer has rigged up a camera in the bathroom to watch you, KA CHING.

Don’t forget there are a hell of a lot more Amendments than the original 10, which are primarily there to restrict GOVERNMENT interference in your life, not your employer’s.

I hope Toni gets a copy of the strip to prove to the Judge she was “touched” first. Geez!

Bisexualllllllllll!

Toni, DO IT!

That was soooooo satisfying