Nudists Sue California Resort Owners Over Clothing Mandate: "Substantial Cultural Shift"

Olive Dell Ranch, which was a friendly nudist resort in San Bernardino County, California, has sued its new owner over claims that they were forced to wear clothes, The Guardian reported. The new owners, who bought the property in 2019, introduced a "textile rule" requiring residents to wear clothes at all times, effective January 6, 2025. 

The ranch, which was founded in 1952 and spread across 136 acres in the San Jacinto foothills, offered RV and mobile-home living, a clubhouse, pool, and restaurant. 

The ranch was apparently built to promote the idea that nudity was natural and healthy. The residents could live without clothes without any objection.

Now, the residents feel that the move is like a "substantial cultural shift", which is like forcing a religious group to abandon its rituals.

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As per the residents, the new owners, Mark Glasier, Brian Cleland and Tina Coffelt, the rents were increased from $550-850 to $900 or more per month and the electrical meters were replaced, doubling or tripling bills. 

The residents further claimed that the pool also turned green, the sauna and restaurant were closed, trash piled up, and rodent infestations occurred.

They claim that the owners are harassing tenants and engaging in elder abuse. The residents also alleged that the owners are trying to force out the nudist community to increase the value of the land.

"This at its heart is an anti-discrimination case," Frances M. Campbell, who is one of the attorneys representing the residents now suing the resort, told the Guardian.

"They are basically making the place as nice as they can with their own money and labor and hoping this lawsuit changes something." 

"All of the new rules, procedures, and actions alleged in this complaint were undertaken by defendants to try to empty the Ranch of residents, many of whom are seniors living on fixed incomes, veterans, and disabled persons," the complaint states.

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A total of 56 plaintiffs, including tenants, dues-paying members, and guests, are seeking at least $5 million in damages and an injunction to restore the ranch's nudist status.

The rule change has caused significant distress, particularly among the elderly and disabled residents who consider the ranch a sanctuary.

Nancy Roeder, who has lived at Olive Dell for more than a decade, told KTLA, "We're just trying to survive."

The case is scheduled for September 29, 2025, in San Bernardino County Superior Court.