A 21-year-old Black man from Carson is suing the In-N-Out Burger chain for at least $3.2 million, alleging he was wrongfully fired in 2024 for complaining about what he believed to be discriminatory treatment by management concerning his hairstyle.
Elijah Obeng’s Compton Superior Court lawsuit alleges wrongful termination, race discrimination, harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and failure to prevent harassment, discrimination or retaliation. An In-N-Out representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit filed Thursday.
Obeng, who worked at the Compton restaurant, was hired after he graduated from high school. In-N-Out requires employees to wear hats with their hair tucked underneath.
As Obeng’s hair grew longer, management told him to comply with the company’s policy and make sure it was contained within the headwear, the suit states. Obeng began braiding his hair so as to conform with the policy, but supervisors still told him he needed to remove his sideburns, which were part of his cultural identity, and so he found the order humiliating and biased, the suit states.
After Obeng determined he would resist the hair policy, he began receiving disparate treatment, including being disciplined for matters that were overlooked when committed by other employees, according to the suit.
Obeng’s work was also scrutinized more, and he was denied chances for promotions, the suit further states.
Obeng’s supervisor sent him home on May 25, 2024, to remove his sideburns, which again left the plaintiff feeling humiliated because his co-workers were watching, the suit states. Rather than abide by what he believed was a discriminatory directive, Obeng told his boss he would return for his next scheduled shift, according to the suit.
Obeng was fired a few days later, and he was told it was because of past write-ups he had been given, but the plaintiff believes the real reason he was terminated was for resisting alleged discriminatory orders, the suit states.
Obeng has suffered emotional distress as well as damage to his reputation, according to the lawsuit.