Services
corporate discrimination
While consumers are not a protected class (such as age or gender), some laws still apply to consumers in certain situations. For example, a department store issuing credit cannot charge a higher interest rate to a customer with a foreign accent. These discriminatory practices can have a deep and lasting impact on U.S. consumers.
On Veteran’s Day of 2016 Ernest Walker walked into Chili’s with his service Dog expecting to enjoy a free meal, offered to all Military Vets and service members. While Walker was eating an elderly customer wearing a Trump shirt came up to him. He said “he was in Germany, and that they did not let Blacks serve over there,” Soon after, Walker said the restaurant’s manager approached him and said that a fellow customer said Walker was “not a real soldier because he had his hat on indoors.” He asked to see identification, and continued to question Walker. Eventually, he took his food away, even though Walker showed him his military ID and discharge paperwork.
Mr. Merritt worked diligently to ensure that Mr. Walker’s case got not just the financial settlement but a spotlight on this issue of discrimination.
