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The fast food chain is accused of discriminating against businesses owned by people of color in the choice of its advertising contracts. At the origin of this complaint, Byron Allen, an American television magnate.
McDonald’s will not escape the lawsuit. The discrimination complaint filed by Byron Allen was accepted by a California judge on Tuesday, September 21. The African-American businessman accuses the giant of Fast food for not advertising enough on black-owned media, including the TV channels he owns through his Entertainment Studio business.
He also accuses McDonald’s of having set up a system with advertising expenditures for channels owned by white people on the one hand and advertising expenditures for channels aimed at the African-American community on the other. Advertisements there would be, according to him, paid less.
Byron Allen denounces a racist corporate culture. For that, he claims no less than 10 billion dollars in damages. A first complaint, filed in 2021, was rejected by the same magistrate. But this time, justice seizes the file. Mc Donald’s will therefore have to defend itself.
The company speaks of accusations “ unfounded » and assures « that there was no discrimination “. In 2021, McDonald’s pledged to increase ad spend with black-owned media to 5% by 2024, up from 2% last year.
Byron Allen is already threatening to sue other advertisers.
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