Starbucks Sued By Employees Accused of Assault and Kidnapping

Starbucks Corp. is in hot water after eight employees filed a def-amation lawsuit against the company claiming their manager falsely accused them of assault and kidnapping. 

The incident which ultimately led to the lawsuit, happened at a Starbucks location in Anderson, South Carolina. 

Business Insider broke down the events that unfolded on Aug. 1 for us. The eight employees delivered a letter to the manager asking for a raise as well as a request for broken equipment to be fixed. This led the store manager to call the district manager on her cell phone as she started to leave the store. The disgruntled staff followed her to the exit and repeated their request for a raise, per the lawsuit and Business Insider.

The manager reported the incident to police two weeks later. She urged them to charge the employees with assault and kid-napping. This prompted authorities to conduct a weeks-long investigation. 

It was ultimately decided by the local sheriff’s department that the employees did not partake in any illegal activities. 

Reuters reported the following, after the incident, the employees were suspended with pay due to the pending investigation and the manager feeling unsafe.

In addition, “The workers accused Starbucks of defamation and abusing the legal process in violation of state law. They are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.”