NEW YORK (Reuters) – Starbucks was sued on Tuesday by the U.S. state of Missouri, which accused the coffee chain of using a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as a pretext to illegally discriminate on the basis of race.
In a complaint filed in St. Louis federal court, Missouri accused Starbucks of tying compensation to racial and gender-based quotas, and discriminating based on race and gender in training, job advancement and with respect to its board membership.
“All of this is unlawful,” said the complaint from the office of Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican.
Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump, also a Republican, has tried to shut down policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion inside and outside the federal government, and some companies have taken action.
For example, Goldman Sachs on Tuesday canceled a policy to take companies public only if they had two diverse board members, generally defined as people from underrepresented demographics.
Amazon.com, meanwhile, removed a reference to inclusion and diversity from its annual report last week.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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