Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Kraft Heinz has been slapped with a $30 million lawsuit by three Black former employees who allege colleagues in a California facility subjected them to a barrage of racist slurs, notes and drawings on their lockers, according to Insider. The lawsuit alleges the brutal treatment, which included being called the n-word repeatedly and having notes placed on their lockers that read “Quit or die [n-word],” continued from 2012 to 2018. According to the suit, the workers attempted to confront management but were told to “keep their heads down” and allegedly retaliated against. A press release from their attorneys said the employees were eventually “forced” out of work and “illegally” fired.
A spokesperson for Kraft Heinz told Insider the allegations were “several years old.” The spokesperson said that as soon as the company was aware of the allegations an “extensive investigation” was undertaken to “ensure that any behavior that violated our policies, if uncovered, was put to an end.” The company has a “zero tolerance policy” for discrimination or harassment, they said.