Coke to pay £135m to settle court case
A judge in America’s deep south is just days away from agreeing to a £135m settlement of a racial discrimination lawsuit filed by black employees against Coca-Cola in the US.
The settlement - the largest ever in a racial discrimination case - also creates an independent task force to monitor the company’s employment practices and commits the board of directors to link executive compensation with the company’s progress in racially diversifying.
Atlanta Judge Richard Story said yesterday he will issue a written order accepting the settlement within days. It offers salaried black workers nearly £28,000 each.
The lawsuit accused Coke of denying the workers fair pay, promotions, raises and performance reviews. Coke denied the charges but agreed to the settlement.
‘‘It’s a historic day and a historic settlement,’’ said Cyrus Mehri, the plaintiffs’ lead lawyer.
The settlement applies to about 2,200 salaried black employees who worked for Coke between April 1995, and June 2000.
