Florida’s attorney general has filed a discrimination lawsuit against Starbucks, accusing the coffee company of illegal DEI and race-based quota policies.
The 21-page lawsuit was filed Wednesday by the office of Attorney General James Uthmeier in Florida’s Tenth Judicial Circuit and alleges Starbucks policies violate the state’s Civil Rights Act.
The suit claims that for the past five years, Starbucks has “excluded or disfavored nonminorities in numerous employment practices and programs” with what it says are racial quotas and goals for hiring.
Starbucks is also accused in the suit of paying employees different wages because of their race, tying executive compensation to participation in race-based mentorship programs and race-based retention rates of employees, and of excluding people from certain “disfavored” races from networking and mentorship opportunities.
“A desire to promote ‘diversity’ does not give Defendant a free pass to discriminate against persons of certain disfavored races (that is, white people, and until last year, multiracial and Asian people),” the suit says.
The suit claims Starbucks has “openly maintained” the policies on its website and in various public statements.
In a statement Wednesday, a Starbucks spokesperson refused the lawsuit’s claims.
“We disagree. 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 statement read.
The attorney general’s lawsuit said as of July, the Seattle-based Starbucks operated 934 stores in Florida, the third most of any state in the nation, and employs thousands in the Sunshine State.
In a video posted on X on Wednesday, Uthmeier said Starbucks’ DEI policies “crossed the line” into illegal.
“Starbucks made DEI more than a slogan, they turned it into a mandatory hiring and promotions 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,” Uthmeier said in the video. “DEI can never be an excuse to violate someone’s civil rights. Every worker in our state deserves to be hired on merit, qualifications and character, not race. Florida law protects that principle and we will enforce it. My office will work to eliminate DEI, root and branch. If a corporation weaponizes DEI to impose illegal racial quotas, Florida will hold them accountable.”
Starbucks used DEI to implement illegal race-based policies for hiring and advancement.
Using DEI as an excuse to hire, promote, or humiliate an employee based on race violates Florida's civil rights law, and we just filed a lawsuit to hold Starbucks accountable. pic.twitter.com/e3pK0GguQ0
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) December 10, 2025
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