Maura Healey Files Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against Bakery

BROCKTON, MA —Attorney General Maura Healey’s office filed a lawsuit against a popular South Shore Bakery. White's Bakery in Brockon is being sued after an employee reported he faced discriminatory treatment based on race and disability, while working at the bakery last year.

According to the Attorney General's office, the head pastry chef and the employee's supervisor, and the manager harassed the employee, and several times, the supervisor called the employee the N-word. In addition to the racist language and harassment, the employee was also mocked for his speech impediment, Healey's office said in a statement.

The complaint, filed Monday in Plymouth Superior Court, also said the manager knew about the harassment and excused it instead of correcting it. The employee was forced to quit after four months because of the "severe emotional harm" the discrimination caused, the Attorney General's office said.

White's Bakery in a statement called the lawsuit disappointing and confusing, denying the company allowed the employee to be subjected to discrimination.

"White’s Bakery denies ever subjecting any employee to any discriminatory treatment based on any characteristic, including race or disability," the bakery said in a statement. "For more than 30 years, we have maintained an unblemished track record as a responsible, progressive employer that embraces people for who they are."

The company issued a second statement on Thursday, in which they claimed managers disciplined an employee after learning about the allegations.

"When we learned the full extent of the racial remarks allegedly made by the bakery employee, we immediately terminated the employee," White's Bakery said.

Through its lawsuit, Healey's office is seeking an injunction preventing the bakery from engaging in discriminatory conduct. The office is also requesting the court award compensation and punitive damages for the harm caused to this employee and anyone else who may have been subjected to discrimination by the bakery, Healey's office said.

"No employee should feel unsafe at work or be subjected to offensive and hateful language by an employer," Healey said. "We have sued this company and its managers to put an end to this type of discriminatory treatment and will hold accountable those who create hostile work environments."