Retailer Saks Fifth Avenue is facing a lawsuit for racial harassment and discrimination by a former employee. Kurtyce Cole, a former manager at the Raleigh, N.C., location of Saks Fifth Avenue alleges that he was racially harassed and discriminated against by the general manager, Mohammed Ali, a Middle-Eastern male. Cole, who is black, complained about certain comments made to him and about him to Margaret Phelan, Saks regional vice president of human resources and Don Uselmann, regional vice president of stores, but nothing was done. Two weeks after complaining, Ali placed Cole on a performance improvement plan and then terminated him.
Cole is asking for several million dollars in compensatory and punitive damages.