Contessa Washington has filed a racial discrimination complaint against DG Retail, LLC, doing business as Dollar General. The complaint was filed on May 13, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
Washington, a black female and former employee of Dollar General in St. Clair County, Illinois, alleges that she endured a hostile work environment characterized by racial discrimination during her tenure as a key holder and assistant manager. According to the complaint, on October 28, 2022, a fellow employee told Washington that she could not "count down" his register because she is black. Despite reporting this incident to Dollar General with corroborating evidence from another witness, Washington claims that the company failed to discipline the offending employee or address her complaints.
The situation escalated in May 2023 when Washington's district manager allegedly described her as "too black" and "too hood" to work under the supervision of a newly assigned store manager. These comments were reportedly confirmed by another employee named Arianna. Shortly after these incidents, on May 11, 2023, Washington was terminated from her position for what she believes were pretextual reasons related to her race and prior complaints about racial discrimination.
Washington's lawsuit accuses DG Retail of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/1-101). She asserts that DG Retail's actions have caused her severe humiliation, emotional distress, loss of employment and career opportunities, and other non-pecuniary losses. The plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits, punitive damages for malicious conduct by DG Retail, attorney’s fees and costs associated with the lawsuit.
The case is being handled by Angie M. Zinzilieta from Wendler & Zinzilieta P.C., representing Contessa Washington. The case ID is 3:24-cv-01263-RJD.