Worker sues Apple, alleges retaliation after reporting racist comments to HR

The problems started, according to the filing, at a January 2025 meeting. A peer said she did not want to relocate to Austin, Texas, because it was “too brown,” the complaint alleges. The worker understood the comment to refer to the area’s racial and ethnic makeup, the filing says. 

That June, he complained to HR that he had been subjected to disparate treatment because of his race and national origin, according to the complaint. A month later, he says, he contacted HR again about a remark his manager allegedly made about Mexico – referencing, in the complaint’s account, that the iPads were “too broken to be repaired like the ones coming from Mexico.” HR discouraged him from filing a formal complaint, the filing alleges. 

By early August 2025, the complaint says, Apple told him it had investigated the matter, that action would follow, and that he would not be retaliated against. 

Then the reversals began, according to the filing. In October 2025, Apple eliminated his bonus and cut his Restricted Stock Units. In November 2025, the company downgraded his title to “DC Administrative & Operational Support.” From there, he alleges, the scrutiny intensified – shifting performance standards and escalating pressure he says were an effort to make him quit. 

The complaint also draws a comparison. It alleges a white peer, described in the filing as having underperformed, faced no discipline and was transferred, while the worker – running a site he says was growing and taking on more volume – had his pay cut and was placed on a performance plan.