LaShawna Alston has filed a racial discrimination and retaliation complaint against Lavazza North America, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on May 31, 2024. Represented by attorney David Manes of Manes & Narahari LLC, Alston alleges that she faced discriminatory treatment based on her race and was subsequently terminated from her position unjustly.
According to the complaint, Alston began working as an Executive Administrator for Lavazza North America on July 10, 2023. Her responsibilities included assisting the President, Hoss Ashraf, and covering administrative human resources activities. However, tensions arose when Alston expressed concerns about her role to Wallis, the Vice President of HR. Wallis allegedly responded negatively to these concerns and accused Alston of insubordination.
The complaint details several incidents where Wallis's behavior towards Alston became increasingly hostile. On August 24, 2023, during a phone call via Teams that lasted over 17 minutes, Wallis apologized for assigning additional responsibilities but then criticized Alston's job performance harshly. By November 6, 2023, Wallis issued a six-page "written final warning" to Alston—the first formal warning she had received—citing alleged unprofessional conduct.
Alston claims that Wallis's actions were racially motivated. She recounts being called derogatory names such as "angry black woman" and being publicly excluded from acknowledgments during company events despite her contributions. For instance, during a company-wide Gap Free Launch event aimed at promoting diversity and inclusion, Wallis thanked other team members but ignored Alston’s efforts entirely.
Further exacerbating the situation was an incident involving Ashraf’s children’s travel arrangements. Despite following instructions and making necessary arrangements with a car service provider, Ashraf accepted incorrect dates which led to confusion. Although this mistake was not directly attributable to Alston, it was used against her in the final warning issued by Wallis.
The complaint also highlights systemic issues within Lavazza North America's handling of racial discrimination complaints. Despite reporting these issues to supervisors like Ashraf and participating in protected activities under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA), no remedial action was taken by the company.
Alston seeks multiple forms of relief from the court including economic damages for back and front wages; compensatory damages for emotional distress; punitive damages; reasonable attorney fees; pre-judgment interest; court costs; and any other relief deemed just by the court.
The case is presided over by Judge CFK under Case No. 24-2353 with attorney David M. Manes representing LaShawna Alston.