The owner of 14 McDonald’s fast food franchises is claiming that the company has shown bias toward white owners, according to a civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court.
Herb Washington, who is a former Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball player, created the largest black-owned McDonald’s franchise operation in the nation, according to The Washington Post. He owned 27 McDonald’s restaurants in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York over the course of his 40 years as a franchisee.
Washington is now accusing the company, however, of pushing him out in 2017 as retribution for being vocal about what he alleges is the “predatory, racially biased steering practices” against black franchisees.
Trending: Here’s Why The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Is The Worst of All 3!
The lawsuit reads, “When Mr. Washington spoke up for himself and other Black franchisees, McDonald’s told him to sit down and be quiet. McDonald’s then discriminated further against Mr. Washington for daring to stand up for himself and to challenge McDonald’s racial discrimination.”
The complaint acknowledges that “McDonald’s has
