Former employees sue Saks Fifth Ave over discrimination

Saks Fifth Avenue is in fire with former employees. Earlier this week, eight former employees from the Saks flagship filed lawsuit accusing the luxury department store and its parent company Hudson Bay's Company of race and age discrimination.

The former employees are all men of mixed races aged between 54 and 70. Most of these men were placed in the men’s department that saw little customer traffic and was far from the store entrance. This setting put the former employees at a disadvantage.

The suit was filed in the state Supreme Court in Bronx County on Tuesday. It stated, “Although they were each committed to maintaining Saks' reputation as a luxury retailer by providing stellar customer service, their respective managers deliberately targeted them because of their race and/or age.”

The men are all represented by the Cochran firm. Their attorney Derek Sells told AV press that the former employees’ managers used abusive language, prevented them from receiving promotions, and turned their heads when younger, white colleagues showcased harassing behavior. The legal team insinuated that the Saks Fifth Avenue management had the intention of moving toward a younger, white workforce.

Hudson Bay’s Company released a statement that read: “While we do not comment on pending litigation, we take these allegations seriously as we are committed to diversity and inclusion across our organization.”