The Republican Attorney General of Missouri is suing Starbucks claiming the coffee giant's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program caused longer waits for customers and higher prices.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey claims Starbucks violated federal and state laws prohibiting race discrimination.
The lawsuit claims race-and-sex-based hiring practices, unlawfully "segregated" employees and violated anti-discrimination laws.
Bailey said Starbucks "actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination" and "blatantly violated the law" by allegedly linking compensation to racial and gender quotas.
Bailey claims Missouri's consumers have 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 is seeking an order compelling Starbucks to immediately cease any DEI practices.
