Florida has sued Starbucks Coffee Co. over alleged diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, claiming the coffee chain violated state civil-rights law by favoring minority employees in hiring and pay.

Since beginning his second term on Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders aimed at dismantling federal DEI initiatives. Following his actions, some companies and universities followed suit, AFROTECH™ previously reported.

Attorney General James Uthmeier filed the 21-page lawsuit on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, The Tallahassee Democrat reports. The suit claims Starbucks used racial quotas and hiring goals that discriminated against “non-favored races,” including white, Asian, and multiracial workers.

“Starbucks made DEI more than a slogan,” Uthmeier said in a post on X. “They turned it into a mandatory hiring and promotion system based on race. The coffee empire set numerical racial targets for their workforce, and they tied executive bonuses to those targets. That is brazen discrimination, and it is against the law.”

“DEI can never be an excuse to violate someone’s civil rights,” he added.

According to The Tallahassee Democrat, the lawsuit claims Starbucks’ “racist employment actions” caused significant financial harm to Florida residents by blocking “a vast number” from jobs and subjecting others to firings, denied promotions, lower pay, reduced bonuses, and exclusion from mentorship and networking opportunities based on race.

The lawsuit does not identify specific individuals harmed or any employees allegedly hired or promoted solely based on race, stating that unnamed Florida residents contacted the attorney general’s office to report race-based practices.

The suit seeks an immediate end to all DEI practices and civil penalties for each alleged instance of racial discrimination at Starbucks’ 934 Florida locations. It also calls for affirmative relief and compensatory damages for “mental anguish, loss of dignity, and other intangible injuries,” per The Tallahassee Democrat.

Starbucks denied the allegations in a statement to several media outlets.

“We disagree,” Starbucks said, per the outlet. “We are deeply committed to creating opportunity for every single one of our partners (employees).

“Our programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful. Our hiring practices are inclusive, fair, and competitive, and designed to ensure the strongest candidate for every job, every time,” the company added.

Previous Legal Challenges Over DEI

Starbucks has faced similar legal challenges before.

In February 2025, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, filed a discrimination lawsuit alleging the company enforces “race- and sex-based hiring practices” and unlawfully segregates employees in violation of anti-discrimination laws, AFROTECH™ noted.

Bailey claimed the initiatives resulted in a “more female and less white” workforce and forced Missouri consumers to “pay higher prices and wait longer for goods and services.”

The lawsuit argues Starbucks’ employment practices violate the Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling that overturned affirmative action, asserting the decision applies to employment as well as college admissions.

“Starbucks has blatantly violated the law by linking its compensation to racial and gender quotas,” a news release asserts. “Additionally, the company discriminates based on race and gender when it comes to board membership. All of these actions are unlawful.”

Starbucks denied the claims at the time, calling them inaccurate and, in a statement to The Washington Post, said that its “programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful.”