Former Versace employee says store uses code words for black shoppers
The ex-employee is now suing the company for racial discrimination
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A former male Versace employee is suing his former company for allegedly firing him after his manager realized he was black.
TMZ reports that the unnamed complainant recently filed a racial discrimination lawsuit that accuses his manager of giving him a code for black shoppers who entered the high-end retail outlet in San Francisco.
Apparently, whenever black customers walked into the store, co-workers would relay a message that a “D410” has entered the store. D410 is the color code for black shirts at Versace.
When the complainant became aware of the practice, he responded to his manager by saying, “You know that I’m African-American?”
According to the lawsuit, the manager was shocked, refused to give the employee rest breaks, and fired him after two weeks on the job. He said the manager’s reason for terminating his employment was that he hadn’t “lived the luxury life.”
Now, the complainant is seeking unpaid wages and an unspecified amount of damages. Versace has denied all the allegations and is seeking a dismissal of the lawsuit.