Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton is facing legal issues following claims of racial discrimination against three Black customers who shopped at several of the brand’s locations.
A lawsuit was filed by a mother-daughter duo who says they were discriminated against at the Costa Mesa and Beverly Hills locations. According to court documents, plaintiff Tracey Renee Williams alleges that she placed a $50,000 pre-order at the Costa Mesa store. To her surprise, Williams never received her purchase. Williams claims she wasn’t provided with a refund or the products despite her repeated attempts. Later on, Williams visited the Beverly Hills location, where she also says the employees treated her with hostility.
To make matters worse, Williams added that the employees were unwelcoming and threatened to have her arrested if she stayed at the store or returned. In an effort to see if she was being discriminated against, Williams sent her white assistant to visit the store the following day. The assistant had a contrasting experience and was able to complete a purchase without complications.
Additionally, Williams’ daughter Brandi, also says she was discriminated against at the Beverly Hills store. Brandi claims that the employees accused her of using “drug money” to make purchases and threatened her with arrest. She added that she had a similar experience at Louis Vuitton’s New Orleans location. To make matters worse, a family friend of Williams, Kristopher Enoch, joined in on the lawsuit. Even though Enoch didn’t have an experience similar to Williams and Brandi, he did state that he was informed that he had been blacklisted from all of Louis Vuitton stores after being denied a jacket that was shown to a white customer.
As a result, the three plaintiffs are requesting both punitive damages and immediate changes to the brand’s policies, including ending the alleged blacklisting practices.
