Former American Express Employee Files Nationwide Discrimination Class Action

On August 23, 2022 former American Express employee, Brian Netzel, filed a nationwide class action against the financial services giant alleging that the company implemented racial quotas to manipulate its “diversity” numbers and gave executives financial bonuses for decreasing the percentage of white employees in their departments. The complaint, filed by The Pivtorak Law Firm in the Federal District Court for the District of Arizona, alleges that when the company’s “Board of Directors and its CEO, Stephen Squeri, decided that they wanted the percentage of black employees in the company to match that of the U.S. population, American Express implemented policies to achieve that numerical goal without any regard for employees in unfavored racial categories or existing civil rights laws.”

The suit further alleges that American Express aggressively implemented its racial engineering policies by rewarding executives who met quotas and punishing those who insisted on making employment decisions based on merit rather than race.

The complaint states,   

Like in any society whose authorities enforce rules differently based on identity categories, life at American Express became racially toxic and intimidating for white employees. The company’s policies incentivized coworkers and supervisors to use race as a cudgel through which personal grudges and ambitions could be executed. Upon information and belief, this resulted in hundreds of white employees being terminated or forced to leave the company because they could not tolerate the racially repressive environment.

This lawsuit is brought pursuant to federal civil rights laws, including Titles VII of the Civil Rights Act and 42 U.S.C. § 1981. Plaintiff is seeking monetary damages for lost wages and emotional distress, injunctive relief to stop the unlawful practices, and punitive damages on behalf of himself and all white employees who were affected by American Express’s racially discriminatory policies.

A copy of the complaint can be found HERE.