The trio claims to have collectively spent over $500,000 with the luxury brand annually.
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A Black influencer named Tracy Renee Williams, her daughter Brandi, and friend Kristopher are suing high-end brand Louis Vuitton for allegedly racially discriminating against them as loyal customers.
According to Daily Mail, Williams who is a VIP customer and social media influencer, claimed to have preordered $50,000 in merchandise to be delivered to her home in 2022 (which never came), but instead she received an appalling email.
“Dear Mrs. Tracy Williams: It has come to our attention that Louis Vuitton has been unable to satisfy your needs,” the email allegedly reads. “Please be advised that Louis Vuitton is no longer prepared to do business with you and we ask that you no longer patronize our boutiques or attempt to order our products via telephone, online, or in person at any Louis Vuitton store.”
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
It continued, “Please do not make further attempts to contact the stores. Any further attempts to communicate with Louis Vuitton should be directed to our Legal Department in writing to: Attn: General Counsel, Louis Vuitton Americas, 1 East 57th Street, New York, New York 10022.”
After receiving the email, Williams said she visited a Beverly Hills Louis Vuitton storefront and was told by a white manager that she was “no longer welcomed to shop at the store,” and would be “arrested” if she returned. She then claimed to have sent her white assistant to the same store where he was “treated drastically different than her.”
Per the suit, Williams stated, “To the contrary, Louis Vuitton staff treated him respectfully and, even when the assistant stated he would (and did) pay for the items with several thousand dollars cash, he was not otherwise prevented from making the purchase.”
Williams also alleged her “lucrative social media presence” died down as she would usually showcase her luxury purchases from the brand. She claimed to have lost roughly $40,000 in revenue.
Elsewhere in the legal documents, Williams also claimed that her daughter Brandi has been racially discriminated against by LV. She claimed that a white LV manager “baselessly” accused her daughter of “spending drug money” during a shopping spree last year.
Brandi stated that she did the same tactic as her mom and sent a “non-Black friend” to the same store to purchase her items with a gift card under her name. However, Brandi claims she was contacted by an employee that the purchase was “illegal,” assuming it was because the purchase was for her. She also said that the store demanded her to return the items.
Williams’ friend, Kristopher, is also suing as he claims a LV manager denied him a jacket that a “non-Black customer” wasn’t interested in after it was shown to them. He stated that he told the staff that he wanted to purchase the jacket for Williams, but the employees claimed “it was not available” and didn’t provide an explanation.
Williams claimed to have reached out to the head of Louis Vuitton, but was directed to their legal team, which she says she hasn’t received a response from. The three plaintiffs are suing for suing for race discrimination under the Unruh Civil Rights Act, business discrimination, tortious breach of contract, and theft.
They are also hoping to plead their cases before a jury.
