State of Missouri Files Lawsuit Against Starbucks for Alleged Discrimination Based on Race, Gender, and Sexuality | US News

February 12, 2025 TruthUSA

The state of Missouri has filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, asserting that its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies have resulted in higher prices and wait times for customers seeking their coffee.

The lawsuit claims that the coffee giant employed its commitment to diversity as a facade to engage in systematic discrimination based on race, gender, and sexual orientation.

According to the complaint lodged in federal court in St. Louis, Missouri also alleged that the compensation of executives was linked to the company meeting race and gender hiring quotas.

“Starbucks has opted to enforce explicit race and sex-based discrimination in hiring through quotas, segregate employees unlawfully, and provide preferential groups with additional training and employment benefits,” stated the lawsuit.

It further argued that Starbucks’ actions have led to increased customer costs and longer wait times for its products and services because “the most qualified workers” were not hired.

Starbucks has labeled the allegations as “inaccurate” and emphasized: “We are profoundly committed to creating opportunities for every single one of our partners (employees). Our programs and benefits are accessible to everyone and comply with the law.”

This action taken by Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey represents the latest push in the United States against DEI policies, influenced by Donald Trump’s recent administration.

Mr. Trump has attempted to dismantle such initiatives within the federal government, and some businesses have followed suit.

On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street bank, discontinued a policy that permitted public offerings only if companies had at least two diverse board members.

In a similar vein, Google removed its diversity-based hiring targets last week, while Amazon.com omitted mentions of inclusion and diversity from its annual report.

The DEI policies under scrutiny were implemented by Starbucks in 2020, amidst the heightened Black Lives Matter movement following the murder of George Floyd.

Missouri indicated that Starbucks’ purported actions “should come as no surprise,” citing new CEO Brian Niccol’s endorsement of environmental, social, and governance objectives during his tenure at Chipotle.

The state aims to compel Starbucks to abolish its diversity policies, reinstate affected employees, rescind disciplinary actions, and pay unspecified damages.

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