Amazon work environment lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiffs Dornnel Locke, Jose Nieves, Elvin Gonzalez, Jamal Webber and Dienus Lesporis filed a lawsuit against Wayne J. Griffin Electric, RC Andersen and Amazon.com.
- Why: The plaintiffs claim they encountered a noose hung as a racist gesture on a job site and their employers did not do enough to prevent the issue.
- Where: The Amazon lawsuit was filed in federal court in Connecticut.
Wayne J. Griffin Electric, RC Andersen and Amazon.com are facing a lawsuit saying employees encountered a noose hung as a racist gesture on their Amazon job site and their employers didn’t do enough to prevent the issue, creating a hostile work environment.
Wayne J. Griffin Electric workers first complained of finding a noose on a job site in Bloomfield, Connecticut, in 2017. Then, in 2021, they found one on the job site at an Amazon distribution facility in Windsor, Connecticut, according to the Amazon race lawsuit.
Plaintiffs Dornnel Locke, Jose Nieves, Elvin Gonzalez, Jamal Webber and Dienus Lesporis filed the lawsuit.
“Plaintiffs are all Black and Brown,” the Amazon work environment lawsuit says. “Accordingly, they were understandably disturbed to have their workplace infected with these hateful and threatening symbols. As noose after noose was found at this Amazon site, plaintiffs rightly complained about defendants’ failure to remove the hostility from their work environment.”
Electricians dealt with accusations from law enforcement, Amazon lawsuit claims
The plaintiffs then encountered retaliation, with law enforcement accusing the electrical workers of hanging the nooses, the Amazon race lawsuit claims. They also were the subject of insulting, derogatory and accusatory comments from their bosses at Wayne J. Griffin Electric, they claimed.
The workers claim they told their supervisor after the noose was found in 2017, but it went no further. The supervisor claimed to tell Griffin human resources director Donna David about the noose, but the workers say he didn’t and that David found out when the workers informed her. At that point, a meeting was held and the electricians were told that nothing could be done without photos of the noose, the Amazon race lawsuit claims.
Amazon.com is facing a class action lawsuit claiming its “Diversity Grant” program discriminates against entrepreneurs who are not Black, Latino or Native American.
Have you ever encountered a racist gesture at your workplace? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Stephen J. Fitzgerald, Joshua R. Goodbaum and Betsy A. Ingraham of Garrison, Levin-Epstein, Fitzgerald and Pirrotti PC.
The Amazon work environment lawsuit is Locke, et al. v. Wayne J. Griffin Electric Inc., et al., Case No. 3:23-cv-01237, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Don’t Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
- Microsoft lawsuit claims company discriminated against trans worker
- NYC Sweetgreen employees file discrimination, sexual harassment lawsuit
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau settles employee discrimination lawsuit for $6M
- Court rules employment discrimination lawsuits can be brought under wider wage of circumstances
