The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against Starbucks, claiming the chain discriminated against a job applicant because he has multiple sclerosis, according to the Seattle Times. The lawsuit says Chuck Hannay applied for one of six open barista positions in Russellville, Arkansas, in 2007. Although not contacted for an interview, he showed up for one anyway, the EEOC said. The agency says Hannay was qualified for the job and that, based on its investigation, it believes Starbucks did not hire him because he has MS. The suit, filed after the EEOC tried to reach a voluntary settlement with Starbucks, seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, Hannay’s instatement to the job, and an injunction against future discrimination. “Employers cannot refuse to hire people with disabilities simply based on discriminatory stereotypes,” Katharine W. Kores, director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, said. Starbucks said that it has not been served with the complaint, which was filed Sept. 2 in U.S. District Court in eastern Arkansas. It added: “However, our workplace policies provide for equal employment opportunities and strictly prohibit discrimination or harassment on the basis of physical or mental disability. We believe our track record for hiring people with disabilities speaks for itself.”
Starbucks Sued for Disability Discrimination
The agency says Hannay was qualified for the job and that, based on its investigation, it believes Starbucks did not hire him because he has MS.
September 9, 2009