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January 1, Starbucks Must Pay $25M After Firing Manager for Being White

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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY…
1908: A giant fireball, most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet flattens 80 million trees near the Stony Tunguska River in Yeniseysk Governorate, Russia, in the largest impact event in recorded history.

  • Former Starbucks manager awarded $25 million by federal jury in a wrongful termination lawsuit.
  • Shannon Phillips claimed she was fired because of her race following the viral incident involving the arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia store.
  • The jury found that Phillips’ race played a role in Starbucks’ decision to terminate her employment, violating her civil rights.

In a recent, highly-publicized legal battle, a white Starbucks regional manager has triumphed over the coffee behemoth, being awarded a hefty $25 million in damages by a federal jury.

The grounds of the case were that Shannon Phillips, the manager in question, was wrongfully terminated because of her race amidst a storm of racial controversy in 2018.

Phillips managed various Starbucks locations across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia store where two black men were barred from using the bathroom, a situation that led to their arrest.

Despite having no involvement in the incident, Phillips was removed from her position in what she argued was a scapegoating move by Starbucks.

The company aimed to demonstrate their commitment to tackling racial bias, a sentiment that resonated deeply across the nation following the contentious incident.

It’s important to recall that this racial controversy began when an employee at the Rittenhouse Square Starbucks called 911 on April 12, 2018.

This was after Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, the two men in question, were denied restroom access because they were not paying customers and subsequently refused to leave.

Both men maintained they were simply awaiting a potential real estate business partner at the time.

Their arrest sparked widespread protests at Starbucks locations nationwide, with calls for a nationwide boycott.

Here is a video of the initial incident below:

In response, Starbucks elected to temporarily close 8,000 locations for staff to undergo anti-bias training.

The fallout from the incident didn’t stop there, though. Phillips, a 13-year veteran with Starbucks, was let go a month later.

On the other hand, the manager of the Philly store, who happens to be black, remained employed.

Laura Mattiacci, Phillips’ attorney, made a significant point during the six-day trial.

The store manager’s employment continued, she contended, precisely because he is black.

Starbucks fought back, arguing that Phillips was dismissed due to her ineffectiveness and absenteeism following the arrests.

Interestingly, Starbucks has chosen to remain silent on the verdict.

Bottom Line

In the end, Phillips walked away with $25.6 million in both compensatory and punitive damages. She also plans to seek back pay, according to her attorney.

Meanwhile, the charges against Nelson and Robinson were dropped, and both men reached an undisclosed settlement with Starbucks and the city.

The saga serves as a stark reminder of the fragile state of race relations in America, and the need for businesses to tread with caution and fairness.

As our loyal readers, we encourage you to share your thoughts and opinions on this issue. Let your voice be heard and join the discussion below.


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7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Bill

    June 30, 2023 at 6:46 am

    Outstanding outcome ! Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving company.

  2. Neta Rice

    June 30, 2023 at 7:04 am

    Yea! A few people are starting to fight back because of the tiers of treatment being used by the “WOKE” companies agendas.

  3. Righturn

    June 30, 2023 at 7:22 am

    For far too long, corporations have been involved with reverse racism which has targeted white managerial employees. This scapegoating is a result of woke corporate policy which needs to be attacked and penalized. Starbucks is just one of the first and richly deserving of this punishment!

  4. Nancyjean Shumaker

    June 30, 2023 at 8:56 am

    People should be judged on their performance and ability, not color. There for a while there was sort of quotas for women and then race to be emposed on companies. After all there’s too many men !! As a wife and mother plus an employee, I didn’t find that fair either.

  5. Political Observer

    June 30, 2023 at 9:07 am

    Looks like even the SCOTUS agrees – NO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION – wonder if that’s only in colleges/universities…would apply here, perfectly. Good for Ms. Phillips. I wouldn’t go to a Starbucks if it were the only place to use a bathroom. Their coffee is way over roasted and their products are way over priced.

  6. LMB

    June 30, 2023 at 12:08 pm

    The two were waiting for an associate real estate partner?! Huh?!?! I guess they weren’t dressed the part either! Probably going to use the bathroom to do their DownandLow thing!! And yes, I believe she got railroaded similar to Tucker getting railroaded from the Domonian settlement! And yes, I believe starbuck has the right to refuse access to their bathrooms if you are not a customer!!! They could have just bought a coffee and everything would have been ok!! But NO the black have to make an issue out of it!! No Respect!! BS, you have to earn respect before I show some respect! If not, get out, move along, go to hell, I’m dialing 911 for your trespassing!!

  7. Nate

    July 2, 2023 at 11:06 am

    What a smart, savy business deal by Starbucks, they should auto-matically get a job in The Biden Administration for their brilliance in racial equality! I bet their coffee will now exceed $10.00 per cup and that’s for “Black Only”! That’s for “The Coffee”, not intended for the color of ones skin! I have to explain things very simply for MORONS!!!!!!

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