Kulturkampf

[HaughtyFrank]

White Lady gets 25 million in racial discrimination lawsuit

Starbucks to pay $25 million to former manager Shannon Phillips allegedly fired because of race

Phillips, the regional manager, was fired, while the manager of the Rittenhouse Square coffee shop, who was Black, kept his job. Phillips sued Starbucks in 2019, alleging that race had been a determining factor in her termination.

Her lawyers argued that "upper management of Starbucks were looking for a 'scapegoat' to terminate to show action was being taken" following the incident involving the two Black men.

A federal jury in Camden, New Jersey, on Monday agreed with their claim and awarded Phillips $600,000 in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages after finding that Starbucks violated her federal civil rights in addition to a New Jersey law that prohibits discrimination based on race.

The case is unusual in that traditionally, anti-discrimination laws have protected individuals who fall into minority categories, according to Wilk Auslander employment attorney Helen Rella.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/starbucks-ordered-to-pay-white-former-manager-fired-because-of-race-25-million/

Don't think I've heard of a story like that before but feels like it had to happen eventually with companies seemingly incapable of nuance when it comes to racial issues.