Coffee Giant Settles In Discrimination Lawsuit Filed By Dwarf

Starbucks Coffee Company agreed to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of a barista with dwarfism who claimed she was fired the day she asked for a stool or small stepladder to do her job.

The coffee giant agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on behalf of Elsa Sallard. In its lawsuit, the EEOC claimed Starbucks unlawfully denied Sallard a reasonable accommodation at one of its El Paso stores and fired her because of her disability.

According to a news release, Sallard suggested that she could use a stool or small stepladder to more easily perform some of the tasks of preparing orders and serving customers during the orientation training. The manager at the undisclosed El Paso Starbucks location disregarded Sallard’s request, the EEOC said. The coffee shop fired Sallard that day, claiming that she would pose a “danger” to customers and employees.

“The (Americans with Disabilities Act) prohibits managers from ignoring reasonable accommodation requests made by qualified persons with disabilities,” EEOC trial attorney Joel Clark said. “In-house education can be effective toward eliminating assumptions and promoting an interactive process for a more inclusive work force.”

Under the terms of the settlement, Starbucks will also have to to provide training on the ADA for all managers and supervisory employees at all of its El Paso locations. The training will focus on the reasonable accommodation of individuals with disabilities and include a specific discussion or instruction relating to definitions of disability under the ADA, the release states.

“Starbucks’ swift action to work constructively with the EEOC in this case, not only by compensating the applicant who was turned away, but by committing to additional training for other stores in the El Paso area, sends the right signal from the corporate office,” Robert A. Canino, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Dallas District Office said in the news release. “The Starbucks customer environment is one that is often considered comfortable and progressive. By fostering that same environment for people behind the counter, Starbucks reinforces a positive public image.”