Starbucks Isn’t Liable for Supervisor’s Rape of Teen Barista

Starbucks Corp. defeated, for now, a suit stemming from a former shift supervisor’s rape of a then-17-year-old barista after a judge ruled she failed to plausibly allege that the company condoned the behavior.

The teen, who sued under the initials M.H., sought to hold the coffee chain vicariously liable under a New York human rights law. But the statute permits holding an employer liable only for misconduct that it encourages, approves, or condones, which M.H. fell short of alleging, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said.

Ex-supervisor Justin Mariani pleaded guilty in 2022 to ...