White Starbucks manager who ran store where two black men were refused access to bathroom is awarded another $2.7 million – after she was previously given $25 million when a jury found she had been fired because of her race
The white Starbucks manager who ran a store where two black men were denied bathroom access will be awarded an additional $2.7 million — after previously being awarded $25 million when a jury found she was fired because of her race
- Shannon Phillips claimed she had been used as a “scapegoat” by Starbucks Coffee
- It comes after she won her lawsuit and was awarded $25 million in damages
A white Starbucks executive who was fired after two black men were denied access to a bathroom in a Philadelphia store was awarded $2.7 million to cover legal fees related to her wrongful termination lawsuit.
Shannon Phillips claimed she was used as a “scapegoat” by Starbucks after she was fired when the coffee chain came to the center of racial controversy in 2018 when two black men were arrested on the grounds of a Philadelphia cafe.
It comes after Mrs. Phillips won her lawsuit against the coffee giant in June and was awarded $25 million in punitive damages and $600,000 in punitive damages.
The saga unfolded when an employee at Starbucks’ Rittenhouse Square location in Philadelphia called 911 on April 12, 2018, after two black men – Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson – were denied bathroom access because they were not paying customers.
Mr. Nelson and Mr. Robinson subsequently refused to leave, claiming they were simply sitting at a table waiting for a potential real estate business partner. But when the police arrived, the men were arrested for trespassing.
Shannon Phillips (left) received $2.7 million to cover legal fees related to her wrongful termination lawsuit
The arrests – which Ms Phillips was not involved in – sparked widespread outrage and protests after footage of the incident surfaced – and Starbucks was accused of racism and boycott threats.
Ms. Phillips, who oversaw the location and about 100 others and allegedly paid up to $200,000, was quickly fired, but sued the coffee chain in 2019, claiming it was due to racial bias.
After her victory on Monday, her lawyer Laura Carlin Mattiacci (pictured) said they were “very happy” with the verdict
After her victory on Monday, her lawyer Laura Carlin Mattiacci said she was “very happy” with the unanimous verdict.
She said she “proved with ‘clear and convincing evidence that punitive damages were warranted’ under New Jersey law.”
In the lawsuit, Ms. Phillips – who worked for Starbucks for 13 years – claimed she had nothing to do with the arrests, but was fired a month later anyway.
Mobile phone footage of the arrests went viral after it emerged that Mr Nelson and Mr Robinson were detained in the shop after sitting without ordering anything.
The arrests sparked protests and prompted the closure of more than 8,000 locations so that the company’s 175,000 employees could receive racial bias training.
Ms Phillips said she worked ‘tirelessly’ to help rebuild community relations in the wake of the controversy, the lawsuit said.
In her role as regional manager, Phillips said she oversaw about 100 stores in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
The highly publicized arrests sparked protests outside the store (above) and led to more than 8,000 locations being closed so the company’s 175,000 employees could receive racial bias training
She alleged that Starbucks began punishing white employees who were not involved weeks later, in an attempt to publicly prove they handled the incident.
Ms. Phillips alleged that the company directed her to send a white male manager, who had worked for the company for 15 years, on administrative leave over an allegation of racial discrimination against him.
The accusation was based on complaints that non-white employees in that manager’s store were paid less than white employees.
Ms Phillips said she claimed the male manager had no say in wages. The lawsuit also said Ms Phillips objected to him being suspended because she said the manager was not racist and she had never seen him engage in discriminatory behaviour.
In comparison, the black manager of the store where the arrests were made, she said, took no disciplinary action.
Ms Phillips said the black manager’s subordinate was the one who called 911 after the two men sat down and refused to leave after being told they couldn’t use the bathroom without buying something.
Mr. Nelson and Mr. Robinson, who were arrested and spent hours in jail, eventually reached a settlement with Starbucks in the aftermath for an undisclosed sum and an offer of a free college education.