Honey Farms Pays $25,000 After Discrimination Allegations

WORCESTER, MA - The Worcester-based Honey Farms has agreed to pay $25,000 to resolve allegations of discriminatory treatment of a Hispanic customer, announced Attorney General General Maura Healey.

Filing an assurance of discontinuance with Suffolk Superior Court, the payment resolves allegations that a district store manager unfairly targeted and falsely accused a Hispanic customer of shoplifting.

“Customers should never be followed, detained, or unfairly accused of theft because of bias and stereotypes,” said AG Healey in a statement. “Both intentional discrimination and unconscious bias take a serious toll on many of our communities, and our office is working to fight all forms of racial discrimination.”

The AG’s Civil Rights Division investigated the incident after receiving a complaint from the customer, who alleges that in March of 2015, a district store manager followed the customer out of the store, accused him of shoplifting, and used derogatory language referencing the customer’s Hispanic heritage.

According to the AG, security footage that was reviewed during the investigation that the customer hadn’t stolen anything.

Honey Farms must pay $20,000, including compensation to the customer and penalties and attorneys’ fees to the Commonwealth. The remaining $5,000 is suspended pending Honey Farms’ compliance with the other terms of the settlement.

The settlement also requires Honey Farms to “adopt and adhere to a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy and to provide its staff members with a training program that includes understanding and addressing unconscious biases.”

Healey said in an announcement that the settlement serves as part of a broader initiative by the Civil Rights Division to address the problem of racial discrimination in public places, including retail stores.