Amazon sued for alleged race and gender bias in corporate hires

E-commerce firm said to hire people of colour at 'lower levels'

Amazon.com Inc. was sued for allegedly discriminating against Black and female workers in hiring employees for its corporate offices.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday in federal court in Washington, alleges that Amazon hires people of colour “at lower levels” and promotes them less than White co-workers with similar qualifications. The claims include discrimination and harassment as well as violations of the Equal Pay Act.

“These practices have an especially severe effect on Black women at the company,” according to a statement from Wigdor LLP, the law firm that filed the suit on behalf of Charlotte Newman. Newman is head of underrepresented founder