ST. LUCIE WEST, Fla. – A woman who allegedly was ordered by a Ruby Tuesday restaurant to stop breastfeeding her baby at her dining booth is now suing a Florida franchise in federal court.

Dee Dee Olsen claims a manager at the eatery instructed her to nurse her infant daughter inside the ladies' room, or else leave the premises.

Olsen opted to pay her bill and leave the restaurant, but claims the incident caused her severe emotional distress.

According to Florida law, mothers are permitted unconditionally to breastfeed anywhere, public or private, covered or uncovered.

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The relevant statute says, "The breastfeeding of a baby is an important and basic act of nurture which must be encouraged in the interests of maternal and child health and family values. A mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be, irrespective of whether or not the nipple of the mother's breast is covered during or incidental to the breastfeeding."

The Port St. Lucie News reports Olsen's lawsuit claims the restaurant violated that rule and illegally discriminates against mothers and infants by forcing them to feed in a restroom or outside of the restaurant.

Olsen wants a judge to force the company to comply with the law and claims Ruby Tuesday negligently and intentionally caused emotional distress, leading her to face continued mental and physical anxiety.

The incident actually took place in November 2003, and the restaurant is raising the question of whether or not the statute of limitations has passed. In court documents, Ruby Tuesday admits one of its managers spoke with Olsen, but denies her other claims.

The case is reminiscent of another South Florida woman who was asked to leave a Houston's restaurant in Boca Raton, Fla., last April.

"I wanted to cry," Simone Bertucci told WTVJ-TV at the time. "I wanted to crawl under the table like I did something wrong, but I didn't do anything wrong."

She sued, and accepted a nominal payment in October to settle her case.

Bertucci's attorney told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that although the law protects women's rights to breastfeed, there's no guarantee they can collect monetary damages if booted from a business for nursing.

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