Worcester-based convenience store chain Honey Farms Inc. has agreed to pay up to $25,000 to resolve allegations of discriminatory treatment of a Hispanic customer, according to Attorney General Maura Healey’s office.
The settlement comes after Healey’s office investigated Honey Farms in March 2015, when a customer alleged that a district manager followed him out of the store and accused him of shoplifting, while referencing his Hispanic heritage in a derogatory manner. Video surveillance footage confirmed the customer hadn’t stolen anything, according to Healey’s office.
The alleged incident violated the Massachusetts Public Accommodations Law and Consumer Protections Act, Healey’s office said. A Honey Farms official declined to comment on the settlement Tuesday morning.
According to the settlement, Honey Farms must pay $20,000, which includes compensation to the customer and penalties and attorneys’ fees to the Commonwealth. The remaining $5,000 is suspended pending Honey Farms’ compliance with other terms of the settlement, including a requirement that the chain adopt and adhere to a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy and provide its staff members with training on unconscious biases.
The settlement is part of a broader initiative by the Civil Rights Division to address racial discrimination in places of public accommodation, such as retail stores.
“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,” Healey said in a statement.
