JUDGE DISMISSES BLACK LIVES MATTER FACE MASK LAWSUIT

A judge dismissed nearly all of a lawsuit accusing Whole Foods Market of illegally punishing workers who wore Black Lives Matter face masks on the job. Whole Foods had been accused in a proposed class action of selectively enforcing its dress code banning “visible slogans, messages, logos or advertising” unrelated to the company. The 27 plaintiffs contended that Whole Foods would send workers home without pay or impose disciplinary actions for wearing the masks and related apparel, even as it let employees wear masks bearing political messages and sports logos. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs concluded that Whole Foods did not violate federal civil rights law or discriminate on the basis of race. “At worst, they were selectively enforcing a dress code to suppress certain speech in the workplace,” she wrote.