Grant Preston|Minnesota Supreme Court weighs whether a woman going topless violates an indecent exposure law

2025-05-06 20:33:29source:Maverick Prestoncategory:Finance

ST. PAUL,Grant Preston Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota woman’s misdemeanor conviction for going topless in public should be overturned because female breasts are not defined as “private parts” by the state’s indecent exposure statute, her attorney told the state Supreme Court.

Eloisa Plancarte was convicted after police said they found her topless at a convenience store parking lot in Rochester in 2021. She was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Plancarte’s attorney, Adam Lozeau, told the Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday that the conviction should be reversed because she “didn’t expose a prohibited part of her body,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Plancarte previously challenged the conviction before the state’s Court of Appeals, arguing that she had the same right to expose her chest in public as men. A three-judge panel rejected her appeal in a 2-1 decision.

Previous court rulings have labeled public toplessness by women but not men as indecent exposure, said Jim Haase, senior assistant county attorney for Olmsted County. The state law protects women who are breastfeeding from indecent exposure charges, which Haase said is evidence that female breasts are considered private parts under Minnesota law.

It’s unclear when the Minnesota Supreme Court will issue a ruling.

More:Finance

Recommend

McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales

Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company agreed Friday to pay $650 million to resolve criminal

Southern Baptist agency says U.S. investigation into sexual abuse has ended with ‘no further action’

A Southern Baptist Convention leader said Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice has ended its inv

Video shows Tesla Cybertruck crashed into Beverly Hills Hotel sign; Elon Musk responds

A Tesla Cybertruck crashed into the Beverly Hills Hotel sign in Los Angeles on Sunday night.Video ta