Black student wins $45G settlement over alleged Barneys profiling, NYPD stop-frisk

The incident happened in April 2013, when the then 19-year-old went to the Manhattan location to purchase a $348 Ferragamo belt. Christian later returned the belt to the store, saying, “I’m not shopping there again”. Christian told The New York Daily News back in 2013. He claimed officers said they were tipped off by a Barneys sales clerk, who accused Christian of using a debit card that did not belong to him.

Christian filed a lawsuit against the retailer and the city seeking unspecified damages for violating his civil rights. After leaving the store, he was stopped by two undercover NYPD detectives who questioned him about his purchase.

Asked about the settlement, a spokesman for the city’s Law Department commented: “Resolving this litigation was in the best interest of the city”.

He recalled the cops demanding, “How could you afford a belt like this? It’s cruel. It’s racist”.

Barneys denied collaborating with the NYPD, but amid the investigation, PIX11 News revealed legal complaints in which Barneys had tipped off the NYPD. In 2014, Barneys agreed to pay a $525,000 fine, hire an anti-profiling consultant, and re-train its employees in a settlement with NY state Attorney General. Records also showed that a disproportionate number of African-American and Latino customers were detained for alleged shoplifting or credit card fraud inside the store. Hopefully retailers will learn that racial discrimination won’t just cost them money – it will also cost them valuable customer loyalty.