The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted class-action status March 23 to a lawsuit accusing a Chicago Niketown store of racial discrimination against African-American employees.

Eighteen current and former Niketown employees originally filed the suit in 2003, but District Court Judge Milton Shadur expanded the pool of plaintiffs to include more than 230 employees who have worked at the store since Dec. 17, 1999. The suit alleges that Niketown, a retail outlet owned by Oregon-based Nike, segregated African-Americans into lower-paying positions, failed to promote African-Americans into higher-paying sales positions, failed to provide benefits, discriminatorily applied workplace rules, discriminatorily terminated employees and retaliated against African-American employees who complained about discriminatory treatment.

Plaintiffs are requesting relief in the form of compensation for lost wages and benefits, compensatory and punitive damages and reinstatement for those who prove discriminatory discharge.

Among the many allegations, plaintiffs accuse the store of subjecting African-American employees to pat downs and scrutinizing customers based on race. One portion of the complaint names a store manager who, “would state in response to young African American males entering the store, 'Here comes trouble.'”

The same day the court granted class status, Nike released a statement saying that the plaintiffs' allegations “are not consistent with [the company's] employee training, corporate policy or efforts to create a culture of inclusion and respect for all employees.”

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois granted class-action status March 23 to a lawsuit accusing a Chicago Niketown store of racial discrimination against African-American employees.

Eighteen current and former Niketown employees originally filed the suit in 2003, but District Court Judge Milton Shadur expanded the pool of plaintiffs to include more than 230 employees who have worked at the store since Dec. 17, 1999. The suit alleges that Niketown, a retail outlet owned by Oregon-based Nike, segregated African-Americans into lower-paying positions, failed to promote African-Americans into higher-paying sales positions, failed to provide benefits, discriminatorily applied workplace rules, discriminatorily terminated employees and retaliated against African-American employees who complained about discriminatory treatment.

Plaintiffs are requesting relief in the form of compensation for lost wages and benefits, compensatory and punitive damages and reinstatement for those who prove discriminatory discharge.

Among the many allegations, plaintiffs accuse the store of subjecting African-American employees to pat downs and scrutinizing customers based on race. One portion of the complaint names a store manager who, “would state in response to young African American males entering the store, 'Here comes trouble.'”

The same day the court granted class status, Nike released a statement saying that the plaintiffs' allegations “are not consistent with [the company's] employee training, corporate policy or efforts to create a culture of inclusion and respect for all employees.”