Amid allegations of racial discrimination, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman began an investigation into Barney’s and the store’s alleged practice of racial profiling. In 2013, two individuals filed suit against Barney’s. As described in this article, Trayon Christian sued Barney’s after he was falsely accused of stealing a belt from the store and Kayla Phillips sued after she was racially profiled by store personnel.
As a result of the Attorney General’s investigation, it was found that a “disproportionate number of black and Latino customers had been detained at Barney’s on suspicion of shoplifting or credit card fraud.” Additionally, the report stated that Barney’s did not have written policies in place to prevent racial profiling.
A former sales associate of Barney’s claims to have witnessed on a regular basis racial profiling by white employees of the store.
In addition to the $525,000 settlement, Barney’s has agreed to retain an anti-profiling consultant, implement new anti-profiling policies and provide profiling training for sales and security personnel.
If you or someone you know thinks they have experienced discrimination due to race, the team at Radford & Keebaugh can help. Contact us by phone at (678) 369-3609 or use our contact form.