Consumer Law
Starbucks Workers Sue for Defamation, Abusing Legal Process Over Union Protest
Starbucks Corp. employees are suing the company for defamation over its response to a union protest.
In a lawsuit filed Monday in South Carolina state court, eight Starbucks workers accused the company of falsely and maliciously portraying them as criminals, and accused the company and the manager of making false statements to the police “for the illegitimate collateral purpose of preventing plaintiffs from publicly protesting Starbucks.”
The lawsuit stems from an Aug. 1 confrontation in which pro-union employees gathered inside the cafe and presented the manager with a letter asking for improvements such as higher pay.
