PORTLAND — A black former employee at a suburban Portland Apple store who says managers repeatedly failed to support him and ultimately fired him after years of racist behavior from customers has filed a $750,000 lawsuit against the technology giant.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that in a lawsuit filed last week, Joshua Holt says white customers “constantly asked” if he worked at the Tigard store even though he’d just welcomed them inside. The suit says customers referred to him as “boy”; and customers would avoid him or ignore him and instead ask for assistance from white employees.
The lawsuit says when Holt shared these experiences with co-workers and management he was often told to “assume positive intent” or that he was overreacting or too negative.
The suit says Holt was hired in 2001 and worked in other stores where he thrived before he was assigned to the store in Tigard.
Apple, through spokeswoman Rachel Wolf Tulley, declined to comment on the pending litigation.
