An African American woman has filed a lawsuit against a major retail chain, alleging racial profiling and discrimination. Venessa Carter lodged her complaint against Dillard’s Inc. in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana on June 21, 2024.
According to the complaint, on June 22, 2023, Carter was shopping at Dillard’s located in the Mall of Louisiana when she was unjustly accused of theft by an employee. The security guard confronted her based on these accusations, leading to a humiliating experience where she was publicly labeled as a thief. Carter asserts that this treatment was solely due to her race and claims it violated her rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1981, which protects against racial discrimination in contractual relationships.
Carter's ordeal began when she entered Dillard’s and noticed she was being followed around the store by employees. Despite feeling embarrassed and confused, she continued shopping until she was abruptly stopped by an employee named Tasha who searched through her purchased items without verifying her identity or checking her receipts. This public confrontation drew unwanted attention from other customers and staff, causing Carter significant distress.
Carter's legal team argues that Dillard’s actions were racially motivated and constitute a breach of Section 1981, which ensures all individuals have equal rights in making and enforcing contracts regardless of race. They further allege that Dillard’s management failed to adequately train their staff to prevent such discriminatory practices and did not take Carter's complaints seriously.
The lawsuit details how Carter's professional reputation and emotional well-being have been severely impacted by this incident. She experienced mental anguish, severe emotional distress, depression, and loss of enjoyment in activities she once found relaxing, such as shopping at Dillard’s.
In addition to seeking compensatory damages exceeding $100,000 for mental anguish, emotional distress, physical pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, lost wages earning capacity, punitive damages are also sought to deter similar conduct in the future. Carter is represented by attorneys Alex J. Washington Jr., from Washington and Wells LLC in Shreveport, Louisiana; and Daryl K. Washington from Washington Law Firm PC in Dallas, Texas.
The case is presided over by Judge Shelly Dick with Case ID No. 24-510.