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Domino’s Pizza bias case reaches U.S. Supreme Court site dominos coupon codes

New Pittsburgh Courier November 30, 2005 | Anonymous WASHINGTON–The U.S. Supreme Court is considering a racial discrimination case next week involving Domino’s Pizza, Inc. to decide whether a Las Vegas Black businessman who claims Domino’s discriminated against him can sue, even though the pizza chain claims he was only indirectly affected by its action.

The case is the most prominent racial discrimination case the court, now led by newly-installed Chief Justice John G. Roberts, a Bush appointee, has on its docket so far. At issue is whether an injured individual, who suffered injury as a result of deliberate actions by a corporation, can sue under provisions of 19th-century civil rights laws. The laws, the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution, bar racial discrimination in the making or enforcing of contracts.

The American Civil Liberties Union is representing John McDonald, who claims his fight with Domino’s caused him to go bankrupt in 2000. He has sued the corporation for emotional distress and financial loss of approximately $8 million. And he claims that a company official told him that she “[didn't] like dealing with you people anyway” and later that Domino’s would “bury you.” Domino’s has maintained that McDonald has no case because the business relationship was between itself and JWM Investments–McDonald’s one-man company. Company officials also insist that the lease with JWM was cancelled five years ago because there were too many construction delays on building a third and fourth store.

Domino’s officials however, according to McDonald, failed to mention that their “flagrant interference” with Las Vegas officials and the Nevada First Bank caused those delays. McDonald also says that Domino’s officials “caused additional delays by illegally removing his name from state and city licenses in attempts to cancel his line of credit.” A Las Vegas federal court agreed with Domino’s, that only JWM could bring suit. But the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in an opinion that was not published, affirmed McDonald’s right as an individual to sue for personal damages. Domino’s then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

If the Supreme Court affirms the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, McDonald could personally sue Domino’s for racial discrimination and personal injury. Most legal scholars dispute Domino’s claim that this would open a floodgate of individual suits against businesses. But they do agree that a favorable ruling for McDonald would preserve what Congress intended in the 14th and 15th amendments. dominoscouponcodesnow.com dominos coupon codes

McDonald’s problems with Domino’s began in 2000, when JWM, a tiny real estate company, entered into four 20-year leases with the huge Michigan-based chain to build and operate four Nevada restaurants. McDonald’s company completed the first two restaurants, but zoning and financing problems initiated by Domino’s plagued the third and fourth pizza parlors.

Domino’s abruptly changed its terms with McDonald one week after meeting him for the first time. The meeting was a gathering of Domino’s 6,000 American franchisees, of which McDonald was the only African-American. After the gathering, Domino’s demanded that McDonald change the length of the four 20-year leases to 30-day agreements. When McDonald refused, Domino’s moved in to cancel the leases, using the excuse that the delays they had caused were unacceptable.

During this period, a Domino’s senior official, Deborah Pear Phillips, not only threatened McDonald’s financial standing, but told him at one point during the dispute that, “I don’t like dealing with you people anyway.” The corporate giant has said that Pear’s remark was only directed to the company, not to the race of its owner.

Domino’s has held the racial makeup of its franchisees a close secret. However, after McDonald filed his suit in 2000, a single African-American franchise owner from Houston, Tex. called him to announce that Domino’s had quickly recruited the Houston man as an owner.

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