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Whole Foods reaches settlement over “illegal firing” of ex-employee stemming from BLM protesting

The suit, originally filed in 2020, involved Black Lives Matter face masks and dress code policies

Deputy Food Editor

Published

A customer carries his Whole Foods Market bag as the company appointed five new directors to its board and replaced its chairman on May 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A customer carries his Whole Foods Market bag as the company appointed five new directors to its board and replaced its chairman on May 10, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Whole Foods has reached an agreement to settle a lawsuit accusing it of "illegally firing a worker who refused to remove her Black Lives Matter face mask and complained about racism," according to Nate Raymond with Reuters

The lawsuit originally "began as a proposed class action when it was filed in 2020 over a Whole Foods dress code that barred workers from wearing attire related to Black Lives Matter," according to Raymond. In the original suit, Savannah Kinzer had said that she was "fired for protesting outside her store, rejecting demands to stop wearing a mask and [for] talking to the press." Her claims were the last that remained from the originally filed lawsuit alleging improper firing and a mask ban that was "racially discriminatory," according to Reuters. 

"While courts rejected those discrimination claims, the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April revived Kinzer's individual claim that her firing constituted illegal retaliation and said a jury should resolve the dispute," Raymond wrote.

The trial was originally set for August 19, but the settlement terms have not been disclosed. 

 

 

By Michael La Corte

Michael is a food writer, recipe editor and educator based in his beloved New Jersey. After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, he worked in restaurants, catering and supper clubs before pivoting to food journalism and recipe development. He also holds a BA in psychology and literature from Pace University.


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