DETROIT - Founders Brewing is being sued by a former employee for racial discrimination and retaliation, WXYZ reports.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Michigan on behalf of Tracy Evans who was an events and promotions manager at Founders in both Grand Rapids and Detroit.
Evans was the only minority manager at Founders, the lawsuit says. "To Plaintiff’s dismay, his coworkers used racial slurs around him and with other employees. In fact, the company itself named its printers in a blatantly racist fashion."
Additionally, Evans says that he was passed up for promotions because of his race. The former employee said he was treated poorly at both the Grand Rapids and Detroit locations. Evans says that he was let go from the brewery after he tried to take a personal day to speak to Human Resources in Grand Rapids.
In a statement to WXYZ, Founders denies the claims made in the lawsuit.
"The allegations of unlawful conduct in Mr. Evans’ lawsuit are baseless. Founders is a company that is built on diversity and its culture is the result of a great mixture of people who treat each other with respect. Founders will vigorously defend itself against these claims and is confident that it will prevail," said Patrick Edsenga in a statement made for Founders.
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