Title: The (Many) Reasons People Have Sued Starbucks
Headings: The (Many) Reasons People Have Sued Starbucks
Culture
The (Many) Reasons People Have Sued Starbucks
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Discrimination
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Hidden Camera in the Bathroom
Crushed Penis
Assault on the Job
'Insatiable and Unchecked Ambition'
Stealing Artwork
Slick Floors
Sexual Harassment
Rape
Patent Infringement
Reneging on a Distribution Deal
Unpaid Overtime
Serving Heroin in Lattes and Racial Slurs
Serving Coffee With Cleaning Solution
Coffee Too Hot

Content: This is of course only one of many, many lawsuits that have been filed against Starbucks since the coffee giant rose to prominence in the '90s. Some, like this one, are ridiculous, filed by consumers looking for a handout from a too-big-to-fail corporation that dispenses million-dollar settlements around like grande drips. But upon looking into the full list of suits brought against the company, it's clear that most are indicative of the pitfalls inherent in operating a corporation so large, with so many employees, not all of whom are model citizens. There are discrimination suits, sexual harassment suits and suits that result from freak accidents that enterprising lawyers are able to attribute to company negligence. Newsweek Newsletter sign-up >
Taken together, the cases paint an interesting picture of the kinds of issues, ranging from the mundane to the exotic, that corporations face in an imperfect (and often quite litigious) country. Let's take a look: Discrimination
Discrimination is the bread and butter of litigation against a corporate entity, and you bet there have been plenty of charges levied against Starbucks. In 2013, a group of 12 deaf people sued the company after a Manhattan location not only refused them service, but mocked them and called the police in an effort to get them kicked out of the store…which isn't even the only example of the chain discriminating against the hearing impaired. In 2015, a former barista sued Starbucks after saying she wasn't provided with sign language interpreters and other "reasonable accommodations" while she was employed. Starbucks has also been sued for ageism, dwarf discrimination, tip discrimination, discrimination against a guy with half an arm, dyslexia discrimination, refusing to let someone with a prosthetic leg use the bathroom and telling a gay Brazilian porn star to "become a man."