Herb Washington to Sue McDonald’s for Civil Rights Violation – Enterprise Journal Every day

By Last updated Feb 13, 2021

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Long-time McDonald’s franchise owner Herb Washington plans to file a lawsuit against the restaurant chain in the U.S. District Court on Tuesday because it has been pressured to sell its restaurants to white investors.

Washington law firm, Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane & Conway, will file a civil rights complaint against McDonald’s in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. That emerges from a statement sent to the media on Friday through the Virginia marketing agency The Hastings Group.

Black Washington ran 27 McDonald’s restaurants in New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio during his 40 years.

“Although other lawsuits have been filed by Black McDonalds franchise owners, Herb Washington is a national icon both in the McDonald’s world and in the larger universe of American black business success stories,” the statement said.

A virtual live press conference in both directions is planned for Tuesday at 1.30 p.m. Among those expected to speak are Washington; US Representative Joyce Beatty, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; and Peiffer Wolf managing partners Joseph Peiffer and Kevin Conway.

An invitation was also sent to civil rights activist, Rev. Jesse Jackson.

“As part of its efforts to drive black franchisees out of its system, McDonald’s has targeted Washington and pressured it to sell one store at a time to white franchisees,” the statement said.

Washington rose to fame as a sprinter champion at Michigan State University and played as a prize runner for the Oakland A’s to help that team win a world championship.

“When one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the US gets away with silencing someone with the track record and success of Herb Washington, which black business leader can feel safe talking about the abuse of African Americans in the business world? ”The release states.

“What is particularly worrying here is that McDonald’s stores that have been built by black owners in challenging areas are being removed by those black owners and turned over to white owners, all as part of a cynical exercise in manipulating the profitability numbers of the restaurant chain, Give it a try and the appearance of parity among the black and white franchisees, “said the press advisor.