In a mind-blowing turn of events, a former regional manager for Starbucks has been awarded a staggering $25.6 million winning her discrimination lawsuit against the company. The federal jury in New Jersey unanimously found that Shannon Phillips had been fired because of her race.
Phillips’s win in Federal court is a significant moment in the ongoing battle against workplace discrimination. But not for why you would think! Phillips is white!
WOAH
Starbucks was just ordered to pay $25.6M to Shannon Phillips
The NJ jury unanimously determined that she was fired for being white pic.twitter.com/EEeqaUdSPT
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 14, 2023
Shannon Phillips was awarded $25 million in punitive damages and an additional $600,000 in compensatory damages by the Jury. She is reportedly seeking further compensation for lost wages which would increase the financial blow to the well-known coffee company.
Phillips’s case is rooted in a 2018 incident that sparked a nationwide controversy. Starbucks was put in the media crosshairs. The incident involved two black men, Rashon Nelson, and Donte Robinson. The men were arrested while waiting for a business associate at a Starbucks location in Philadelphia. Phillips was the regional manager of that store and many more.
The employees at the Center City Philadelphia Starbucks called the police on Nelson and Robinson after they asked to use the washroom but hadn’t ordered anything. It was Starbucks’ company policy that only customers and staff could use the restroom at Starbucks locations. When asked to either buy something or leave, the two men became irate.
GOOD!!! Starbucks to pay $25 million to former manager Shannon Phillips allegedly fired because of race https://t.co/um7FLFwUDV via @cbsmoneywatch
— Darrell B. Harrison (@D_B_Harrison) June 14, 2023
The incident was recorded and went viral on social media, which led to public outrage and accusations of racial bias against Starbucks.
What led to Phillips’ being fired was when a Starbucks employee called 911. The Employee claimed Nelson and Robinson were “trespassing” after they violated company policy by asking to use the washroom, which they said was only for paying customers. The police arrived and escorted the pair out of the cafe as onlookers recorded the interaction.
We all remember this scene (Left) at a center city Philadelphia Starbucks, where a racist White store manager called the cops on 2 Black men for sitting in the store. Well, this racist, Shannon-Phillips, just won a 25.6M settlement for her firing, claiming reverse racism.😡 pic.twitter.com/hPMFfCgcLE
— ᗷᒪᗩᑕK ᗷᑌᗪᗪᗩᖴᒪY ʚїɞ (@DFiosa) June 15, 2023
The two men were released hours later. The district attorney found that they hadn’t committed any crimes so it was unlawful to hold them.
In the media backlash against Starbucks Phillips’ firing became the scapegoat used by the company to show that they were not racist. Starbucks also shut down hundreds of stores across the country, for one day, so that staff could undergo racial bias training.
The two men also sued Starbucks at the time. Nelson and Robinson settled for an undisclosed amount.
