A lawsuit filed by Missouri’s Republican attorney general claims Starbucks is unlawfully using diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices that ultimately discriminate against its employees.
In the lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey accused the international coffee chain of violating federal and state laws prohibiting race discrimination. Bailey said in a news release that he was filing the suit “to halt this blatant violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act in its tracks.”
“Starbucks’ commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is mere pretext for its actual commitment to unlawful discrimination,” Bailey wrote in the 59-page lawsuit that leans on employment data from 2020 to 2024.
He added: “In other words, since 2020, Starbucks’s workforce has become more female and less white.”
Bailey is asking the court for an order compelling Starbucks to immediately stop what he said amounts to “discriminatory patterns and practices.”
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“With Starbucks’ discriminatory patterns, practices, and policies, Missouri’s consumers are required to pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services that could be provided for less had Starbucks employed the most qualified workers, regardless of their race, color, sex, or national origin," Bailey concluded in his complaint.
Starbucks pushed back and defended its hiring practices.
“We disagree with the attorney general and these allegations are inaccurate,” Starbucks said in a statement to Fox 2 St. Louis. “We are deeply committed to creating opportunity for every single one of our partners (employees). Our programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful. Our hiring practices are inclusive, fair and competitive and designed to ensure the strongest candidate for every job every time.”
The lawsuit comes as President Donald Trump has launched an all-out war against DEI by dismantling diversity initiatives across federal agencies immediately after returning to the White House last month.
