A white woman who formerly served as a regional manager at Starbucks and was responsible for overseeing the Philadelphia store where an employee infamously called the police on two Black men, resulting in their wrongful arrest, has been awarded over $25 million in a recent court decision.
She Says Her Civil Rights Were Violated
Shannon Phillips, Starbucks former regional manager, filed a lawsuit alleging that her federal civil rights were violated when she was fired following the incident involving the worker’s call to the police.
The Jury Agreed With Her
The jury agreed with her claims, ruling that she was terminated “because she was white.” As a result, Starbucks will pay Phillips $25.6 million, consisting of $25 million in punitive damages and $600,000 in compensatory damages.
The Backstory
Before her termination, Phillips held a leadership position overseeing Starbucks’ retail operations in the Philadelphia region, southern New Jersey, Delaware, and parts of Maryland.
It Started With a Wrongful Arrest
The wrongful arrest of the two Black men, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, occurred during her tenure, leading to widespread public outrage.
She Said She Had No Involvement
While Phillips maintained that she had no involvement in the arrests, she was fired less than a month after the incident because she objected to placing the white district manager on administrative leave, who allegedly paid Black workers lower salaries.
She Filed a Lawsuit
Her lawsuit argued that Starbucks sought to demonstrate a proper response to the incident by punishing white employees who were not involved in the arrests but worked in and around Philadelphia.
Starbucks Took No Action Against Black Manager
The lawsuit also claimed that Starbucks took no action against the Black district manager of the store, who allegedly promoted the employee responsible for calling the police.
She Received a Bonus
Phillips contended that her performance had been praised, and she had received a bonus shortly before her termination.
She Was on Track for a Promotion
She was on track for a promotion to a position within the Starbucks’ government and community affairs unit before the arrests occurred.
She Decided to Sue
Phillips sued Starbucks for various damages, including loss of earning capacity, benefits, pain and suffering, embarrassment, humiliation, loss of self-esteem, mental anguish, and loss of life’s pleasures.
Unusual Turn of Events
The case took an unusual turn considering that the Starbucks store manager had called 911, an emergency number, for a situation that did not qualify as an emergency.
Police Were Also Criticized
The Philadelphia police, who arrested Nelson and Robinson, later faced criticism for their handling of the situation.
The Two Men Also Sued the City
Nelson stated in an interview that the police did not provide any explanation for their arrest. They simply ordered them to leave.
A Wrongful Arrest?
The two men were handcuffed and placed in a squad car without being read their rights.
Confidential Settlement
Nelson and Robinson sued the city of Philadelphia, eventually reaching a confidential settlement that included a $200,000 fund to support young entrepreneurs.
His Sister Asked For $20K to Fund Her Gastric Bypass Surgery, He Offered $5K and He Refused to Use His Son’s Tuition Money to Fund the Rest
A frustrated Reddit user explained on a sub thread about a recent experience with their half-sister. She is requesting he pays over $20K to pay for her weight-loss surgery. His Sister Asked For $20K to Fund Her Gastric Bypass Surgery, He Offered $5K and He Refused to Use His Son’s Tuition Money to Fund the Rest
An Entitled Customer Forced Her to Break a Hundred for Him, so She Complied in the Only Way She Could!
This young woman used to work at a convenience store that handled a lot of cash and they had policies in place to minimize the amount of cash available at any one time. So when she was confronted by an entitled customer she did what she had to within the guidelines of the policy. An Entitled Customer Forced Her to Break a Hundred for Him, so She Complied in the Only Way She Could!
Her Tyrant Boss Had It Out for Her and Gave Her Walking Papers But It Backfired Massively, to Her Delight!
This woman’s story of passive aggressiveness makes for a very satisfying read! She explains how she maliciously complied with her boss to turn the tables and put her in a situation she would have hated! Her Tyrant Boss Had It Out for Her and Gave Her Walking Papers But It Backfired Massively, to Her Delight!
The Rental Company Told Him to Bring His Car Back Empty, so He Took It to the Extreme
Get ready for a story of a man who decided to take instructions quite literally, resulting in a hilarious example of malicious compliance. The Rental Company Told Him to Bring His Car Back Empty, so He Took It to the Extreme
She Devised a Clever Plan to Take Down a Scammy Mechanic Who Thought She Didn’t Know Any Better – Boy Was He Wrong!
A mechanic tried to scam a woman not knowing she saw right through him, making him regret his behavior. She Devised a Clever Plan to Take Down a Scammy Mechanic Who Thought She Didn’t Know Any Better – Boy Was He Wrong!
The post Former Starbucks Manager Fired ‘for Being White’ Receives Nearly $26M Settlement first appeared on Fistful of Dollars.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Ekateryna Zubal. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Twitter