A federal court has ruled that Starbucks must pay a former manager $28.3 million after they fired her for being White. The dismissal took place after an incident involving the wrongful arrest of two Black individuals at a Philadelphia branch
She Was a Regional Manager
The ex-regional manager, Shannon Phillips, brought a lawsuit against the coffee chain alleging that her termination was influenced by her White background. She argued this because the manager of the store in question – who was Black – did not face similar consequences.
Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson
The event occurred when Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, two Black men, were waiting for an associate at the branch. Nelson was denied access to the restroom as he hadn’t made a purchase. When staff approached them to ask if they needed help, the men declined assistance, clarifying that they were there for a business meeting and had used Starbucks locations for such meetings before.
A Wrongful Arrest
Staff went on to call the police, who confronted Nelson and Robinson at the coffee shop and told them to leave because they hadn’t made a purchase. The incident escalated, leading to the pair’s arrest on the grounds of ‘defiant trespassing.’ The men were later released without being charged.
Starbucks Sought a Scapegoat
The incident was recorded and posted online – and it sparked protests. In response, Starbucks initiated racial bias training across its branches. Phillips, a regional manager, claimed that she was unjustly terminated after expressing objections to the firing of another White manager. She claimed that her race played a role in her dismissal as the manager of the store in question kept her job. Her legal team argued that higher-ups at Starbucks sought a scapegoat to demonstrate that action was taken.
The Court Ruled in Her Favor
The court ruled in favor of Phillips’ claim and ordered Starbucks to pay $25.6 million as compensation for violating her federal rights. An additional payment of $2.7 million was later ordered for economic losses and attorney fees. Separately, Nelson and Robinson reached confidential settlements with Starbucks. Moreover, the city agreed to pay them each a symbolic $1 and allocated $200,000 to a program supporting young entrepreneurs.
The Internet Responded
News of Phillips’ successful endeavor was shared across social media and everyone had an opinion to share. “Wow, it [sounds] like Starbucks just wanted to fire White employees as a public relations talking point as a response to their bad press. They totally deserved to be sued,” one person wrote.
A Crazy PR Move
For the most part, commenters were astounded that Starbucks had fired Phillips in the first place. One individual wrote: “Firing random White employees as a PR move is crazy. Makes no sense at all. Happy that it looks like Starbucks will be held financially accountable.”
Everyone Was in the Wrong
Some commenters couldn’t wrap their heads around the situation. “Still so confused by the whole series of events. It isn’t unreasonable to expect people to buy something in order to [be in] the space. Otherwise, it’s just loitering. Everybody involved could have just taken a step back and then made another choice – including Starbucks itself.”
Justice Really Can Prevail
Some commenters questioned whether or not Phillips would’ve received the same compensation had she been Black. “The fact that the manager got that much compensation just goes to show that justice really can prevail sometimes. I do wonder though, would justice have prevailed the same way if she was Black? And if she’d been fired for being Black? I hope it would’ve but I’m not so sure.”
Still Not Reverse Racism
Unsurprisingly, a debate about reverse racism ensued. “Definitive proof reverse racism exists,” one person wrote. “It’s really not. Yes, this was discrimination and it was awful. But it wasn’t racism. Racism is so much more than this, it runs much deeper than this, and has a far bigger history than this,” another hit back.
People Shared Personal Stories
Some commenters shared personal stories about Starbucks. One person wrote: “Starbucks just fired all of their workers in my town because their stores unionized. Three stores in town, they all got shut down. Lives upended. The worker I’m friends with has to drop out of grad school and is losing their apartment. Starbucks sucks.”
International Commenters Gave Their Thoughts
International commenters weighed in too. “Living in America seems so wild to me. One day you’re living paycheck to paycheck. Then you’re getting fired for some bogus reason and the next day you’re a multi-millionaire,” one person wrote. “The US is nuts. This is what happens when you don’t have worker’s rights. Glad she’s getting compensated though,” another said.
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