DETROIT, Mich. — Founders Brewing Coompany has been sued for alleged racial discrimination toward an employee at their Detroit taproom.
According to the federal complaint, a Black employee claims she was promoted to a part-time management role "purely for optic reasons."
She also claims she resigned after less than two years of working at the Detroit taproom, citing a "racially hostile and hopeless work environment."
The Grand Rapids-based brewery faces three counts of racial discrimination, two counts of retaliation and one count of hostile work environment, according to documents filed with the federal court system.
The lawsuit alleges the plaintiff was not treated equally as her white coworkers, alleging she was passed over for promotions because of her race.
The suit goes on to say the employee was forced to work as a server when white employees of her standing were not.
Founders is also accused of ignoring the plaintiff’s reports of alleged harassment from coworkers, including the deliberate mispronunciation of her name. Allegedly, after she filed the reports, the company retaliated by reducing her scheduled hours and opportunities for advancement.
As a result, the plaintiff asks to be repaid the wages and benefits of which she was reportedly deprived, as well as other damages and attorney fees.
Documents say the employee was physically harmed and lost pay, vacation time and sick days, among other damages.
Founders released a statement apologizing for the alleged events that took place. They say an investigation into the accusations is underway, adding they have enforced mandatory discrimination and harassment training protocols since 2019.
The lawsuit was filed the same day the brewing company announced the taproom's closure. Founders explains they were unaware of the lawsuit when they decided to close their Detroit location.
Founders Brewing Company’s full statement reads:
"We are deeply saddened and concerned to learn of the recent accusations that have been brought against the Detroit Taproom. We take these claims very seriously, and we are conducting a thorough internal investigation.
"Since 2019, we have instituted mandatory bias, discrimination and harassment training throughout our organization. We have reexamined our policies and enacted new policies, along with implementing new procedures for the reporting of workplace concerns.
"Closing a business is a difficult decision, and this decision was made after a several year evaluation of the Detroit Taproom’s financial performance that began prior to COVID and was made worse by the pandemic. During the closure of our Detroit facility on Monday, we were unaware of the filing. We announced the closing to all of our Detroit staff on Monday morning, and did not learn about the lawsuit filed against Founders until that evening when a reporter contacted us. As with any closure, there was a lot of work that needed to be done to prepare for the loss of this extension, including redistribution of internal assets, conversations with our landlord and pulling together a comprehensive severance plan, all of which take time.
"As to the pending lawsuit, we are sorry that this individual did not have a good experience with us, and to the extent it was due to our actions or inactions that contributed to that, we are deeply sorry."
