- Elijah Obeng sued In-N-Out Burger for Rs 25 crore over alleged hair discrimination
- Obeng worked at In-N-Out from June 2020 until his termination in 2024.
- He braided his hair to comply with uniform policy but faced demands to cut sideburns
A former In-N-Out Burger employee has sued the fast food chain for at least Rs 25 crore ($3 million) in damages, alleging he was fired for his natural hair. Elijah Obeng, a California native, claims that he was racially discriminated against and terminated for his natural hair and texture.
According to the court documents, Mr Obeng started working at an In-N-Out restaurant in June 2020 after graduating from high school and continued to work till he was terminated last year.
Mr Obeng went to work in accordance with In-N-Out's grooming and uniform policy. However, when his hair got longer, the management instructed him to cut or alter it to fit under the required uniform hat.
In an attempt to comply with the policy, Mr Obeng braided his hair. Despite this, the management told him, in front of other employees, that he needed to cut his sideburns, which Mr Obeng found "humiliating and discriminatory". Upon not cutting the sideburns, court documents state, he began experiencing different treatment.
He was punished for minor policy violations, like not attending work meetings, which Obeng claims his colleagues did not face, the lawsuit reads.
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'Emotional distress'
Mr Obeng is now seeking damages for "emotional distress, loss of employment, and punitive damages" due to the discriminatory practices he experienced at the workplace.
"The complaint alleges that Obeng faced adverse employment actions due to his natural hair and cultural identity, which were in violation of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act and the CROWN Act," read the lawsuit.
"This policy disproportionately burdened Black employees whose natural hair may not conform to such grooming standards."
The CROWN Act, which is an official law in 27 states, including California, prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of an employee's hairstyle or hair texture.
In-N-Out, however, claims that Mr Obeng's employment was terminated due to prior write-ups.
