Cousins! A former Starbucks manager scored big in court with a $25.6M win following a forwarded lawsuit where she issued claims that she was wrongfully fired for being white!
Thirteen-year Starbucks employee and regional manager Shannon Phillips filed a lawsuit against the coffee chain back in 2019 after she was terminated upon the arrest of two Black males in 2018 at a Philadelphia located store.
As we previously reported back in April of 2018 local police officials were called on Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson after they sat in the listed Starbucks location reportedly without making a purchase. It has been indicated that the young men were asked to leave and responded that they were waiting for a business colleague.
The incident spread online as the two men were removed from the premises in handcuffs. A series of protests were conducted throughout the city and sparked outrage across social media.
Reports read that Shannon who was the regional manager in Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey wasn’t involved in the arrests; however, she was fired soon after the incident after objecting to a white manager being suspended in connection to the ordeal.
Within the issued lawsuit Shannon declares she was fired only because she is white. According to CNN, she argued that at the time Starbucks had been trying to, “punish white employees who had not been involved in the arrests, but who worked in and around the city of Philadelphia, in an effort to convince the community that it had properly responded to the incident.”
Court documents show that Shannon’s attorney argued that her race, “ was a motivating and/or determinative factor in [Starbucks’] discriminatory treatment.”
Per CNN, Starbucks denied the forwarded claims and stated in a 2021 court filing that, “senior leaders and members of Partner Resources all observed Ms. Phillips demonstrate a complete absence of leadership during this crisis,” in response to Shannon’s termination.
The franchise says Shannon, “appeared overwhelmed and lacked awareness of how critical the situation had become.” Documents show she was let go, “because strong leadership was essential during that time.”
This week a jury found Starbucks liable under New Jersey State and federal law. Shannon is set to receive $600,000 in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages.