Grammy award-winning country songwriter Brett James, whose string of top hits includes “Jesus, Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood and “When the Sun Goes Down” by Kenny Chesney, died in a plane crash in North Carolina, authorities said Friday. He was 57.
The small plane with three people aboard crashed Thursday afternoon “under unknown circumstances” in the woods in Franklin, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a preliminary report. There were no survivors, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said in a statement.
James was on a Cirrus SR22T, which was registered to him under his legal name of Brett James Cornelius, according to information provided by the FAA. It was not known if he was the pilot. The patrol confirmed his death. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board said they will investigate the crash.
The other two people on the plane were Melody Carole and Meryl Maxwell Wilson, the patrol confirmed.
The plane had taken off from John C. Tune Airport in Nashville.
James was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020. The organization posted an online statement of mourning.
A native of Oklahoma City, James left medical school to pursue a music career in Nashville, according his biography on the Hall of Fame’s site.
His first No. 1 hit was “Who I Am” in 2001, by Jessica Andrews. “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” which he co-wrote for Underwood, earned the 2006 Grammy for Best Country Song, among other honors.
James had more than 500 of his songs recorded, for albums with combined sales of more than 110 million copies, according to his Grand Ole Opry biography online.
Other artists who sang his songs include Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Nick Jonas and Meghan Trainor.
Additional hits include “Cowboy Casanova” by Underwood, “Out Last Night” by Chesney and “Summer Nights” by Rascal Flatts.
“Heartbroken to hear of the loss of my friend Brett James tonight,” country singer Jason Aldean posted on X. “I had nothing but love and respect for that guy and he helped change my life. Honored to have met him and worked with him.”
James recorded his own album in 2020.
“At my stage in life, I’m not going to write about driving around in pickup trucks, chasing girls,” he was quoted as saying on the Opry site. “It needed to feel more classic, lyrically. They all wound up being love songs, but hopefully love songs with a twist, that haven’t all been written before.”
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Associated Press reporter Kristin M. Hall in Nashville contributed to this story.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Fourteen former N.C. State male athletes have filed a lawsuit in state court alleging sexual abuse under the guise of treatment and harassment by the Wolfpack’s former director of sports medicine, expanding a case that began with a federal lawsuit from a single athlete three years ago.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday evening in Wake County Superior Court alleges years of misconduct by Robert Murphy Jr., including improper touching of the genitals during massages and intrusive observation while collecting urine samples during drug testing.
Murphy, at N.C. State from 2012-22, is among nine defendants named individually. Others are school officials accused of negligence in oversight roles.
Twelve athletes are “John Doe” plaintiffs to protect anonymity, while two former men’s soccer players are named. One is Benjamin Locke, who filed the original complaint in August 2022. The other is one of two athletes who filed their own federal lawsuits in February and April 2023. The Associated Press typically doesn’t identify those who say they have been sexually assaulted or abused unless the person has spoken publicly, which Locke has done.
Durham-based attorney Kerry Sutton, who has represented plaintiffs in all four lawsuits, filed to dismiss those pending Title IX lawsuits before moving the case to state-level jurisdiction — though now with 11 additional plaintiffs.
Wednesday’s lawsuit outlines similar allegations of Murphy’s conduct and the school’s response. It alleges concerns about Murphy reached former athletic director Debbie Yow and other senior athletics officials, but nothing substantive was done to investigate nor prevent Murphy from “free rein” in working with male athletes despite being told to stop.
The lawsuit alleges Murphy’s conduct was known to the point that athletes on multiple teams joked derisively about it, while multiple athletes refused to let Murphy treat them again. It also alleged Murphy’s observation methods while collecting drug-testing samples were “unsettling and undignified,” with athletes exposed from calves to chest and sometimes with Murphy standing closely in the same bathroom stall.
“These 14 athletes have come forward together hoping to encourage others abused by Rob Murphy to see it wasn’t just them, they did nothing wrong, and NCSU should have protected them,” Sutton said in a statement on behalf of co-counsels Lisa Lanier and Robert Jenkins.
“A culture of fear in the NCSU athletics department led to this tragic set of circumstances. Athletes afraid of losing their scholarship or their spot on the team, trainers afraid of reporting their boss, coaches afraid of getting involved, directors afraid of harming NCSU’s reputation. Murphy took advantage of those fears to get away with abusing what we believe may turn out to be hundreds of former Wolfpack athletes.”
Seth Blum, who has represented Murphy along with fellow Raleigh-based attorney Jared Hammett, said Murphy has been falsely accused.
“In three years of representing Robert Murphy in and out of court, we have yet to see one scrap of credible evidence that he assaulted anyone,” Blum said in a statement Thursday. “He is a talented professional who has been targeted as an early victim in the new frontier of mass torts: suing universities for spurious allegations of sexual assault.
“Put simply, Robert Murphy did not do this.”
Defendants include Yow, who retired in 2019; former chancellor Randy Woodson; and current AD Boo Corrigan. In an email Thursday, spokesman Mick Kulikowski said N.C. State wouldn’t comment on pending litigation. Yow declined to comment, deferring to the school, in a text message to the AP.
Locke’s 2022 lawsuit stated he learned during the Title IX investigation that former men’s soccer coach Kelly Findley allegedly told a senior athletics official in February 2016 that Murphy was engaging in conduct “consistent with ‘grooming’ behavior.” That was a key point when a federal appeals court in January reversed the dismissal of the “John Doe 2” lawsuit, determining that Findley’s comment was “objectively” an allegation qualifying as notification to school officials.
Wednesday’s lawsuit alleges Findley had raised concerns after the 2012 season to a senior athletics official and wanted Murphy removed as the team’s trainer. The senior official reassigned Murphy to other teams in 2013, but Murphy resumed working with soccer the next year in what the lawsuit calls “a self-directed return.”
That official’s successor later instructed Murphy multiple times from 2016-21 to stop treating male athletes or hanging around the soccer team, and instead focus on administrative duties. Yet as Murphy “failed to comply,” the school took no corrective action and elevated him to an associate AD role in addition to his sports-medicine director role in 2018, the lawsuit states.
Murphy went on administrative leave in January 2022 amid the Title IX investigation tied to Locke, whose first lawsuit stated he learned that Murphy no longer worked at N.C. State after an “involuntary separation” that summer. That Title IX investigation ultimately found “a violation would have been substantiated via the preponderance of the evidence standard” if Murphy remained, according to a letter to Locke from the school’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity.
N.C. State has previously said campus police also investigated Locke’s complaint but filed no criminal charges.
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This story has been corrected to show the lawsuit states Murphy took an associate AD role in addition to that of director of sports medicine, instead of being elevated to director.
North Carolina (2-1) at UCF (2-0), Sept. 20 at 3:30 p.m. EDT.
BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: UCF by 7. Against the spread: UCF 1-1, North Carolina 2-1.
How to listen: WPTF
How to watch: FOX
Key stats UCF Offense Overall: 491 yards per game (21st in FBS) Passing: 259 yards per game (43rd) Rushing: 232 yards per game (20th) Scoring: 42.5 points per game (23rd)
UCF Defense Overall: 261 yards per game (26th in FBS) Passing: 98.5 yards per game (3rd) Rushing: 162.5 yards per game (102nd) Scoring: 8.5 points per game (9th)
North Carolina Offense Overall: 279 yards per game (127th in FBS) Passing: 148.7 yards per game (119th) Rushing: 130.3 yards per game (101st) Scoring: 25 points per game (87th)
North Carolina Defense Overall: 337.3 yards per game (69th in FBS) Passing: 203 yards per game (64th) Rushing: 134.3 yards per game (72nd) Scoring: 19 points per game (53rd)
UCF ranks 15th in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert 25% of the time. North Carolina ranks 109th on offense, converting on 33.3% of third downs.
UCF ranks 110th in the FBS averaging 67.5 penalty yards per game, compared to North Carolina’s 40th-ranked 43.3 per-game average.
North Carolina is 58th in FBS in red zone offense, scoring on 88.9% of trips. UCF’s red zone defense ranks 5th at 50%. North Carolina ranks 119th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 26:30.
North Carolina Passing: Gio Lopez, 343 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 58.5 completion percentage Rushing: Demon June, 200 yards on 23 carries, 1 TD Receiving: Jordan Shipp, 149 yards on 10 catches, 2 TDs
Last game
UCF won 68-7 over North Carolina A&T on Saturday, Sept. 6. Jackson threw for 189 yards on 12-of-21 attempts (57.1%) with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball three times for 1 yard and two rushing touchdowns. Nixon had 156 rushing yards on four carries and two touchdowns. Thomas had three receptions for 68 yards.
North Carolina beat Richmond 41-6 on Saturday, Sept. 13. Lopez led North Carolina with 119 yards on 10-of-18 passing (55.6%) for two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 11 times for 40 yards and one rushing touchdown. June had 148 rushing yards on 14 carries and one touchdown, adding one reception for 19 yards. Shipp recorded 52 yards on four catches with two touchdowns.
Next game
UCF plays at Kansas State on Sept. 27. North Carolina hosts Clemson on Oct. 4.
By MAKIYA SEMINERA of The Associated Press and LAURA HACKETT and JOSE SANDOVAL of Blue Ridge Public Radio
SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — When 12-year-old Natalie Briggs visited the ruins of her home after Hurricane Helene, she had to tightrope across a wooden beam to reach what was once her bedroom.
Knots of electrical wires were draped inside the skeleton of the house. Months after the storm, light filtered through breaks in the tarps over the windows. “All I could think of was, ‘This isn’t my house,’” said Natalie, who had been staying in her grandparents’ basement.
Hurricane Helene displaced thousands of students. Some struggled to get back on track with school (AP Video)
Thousands of students across western North Carolina lost their homes a year ago when Helene hit with some of the most vicious floods, landslides and wind ever seen in the state’s Appalachian region, once considered a “climate haven.” Across the state, more than 2,500 students were identified as homeless as a direct result of Helene, according to state data obtained by The Associated Press.
At school, Natalie sometimes had panic attacks when she thought of her ruined home in Swannanoa.
“There were some points where I just didn’t want people to talk to me about the house — or just, like, talk to me at all,” Natalie said.
While storm debris has been mostly cleared away, the impact of the displacement lingers for the region’s children. Schools reopened long before many students returned to their homes, and their learning and well-being have yet to recover.
The phenomenon is increasingly common as natural disasters disrupt U.S. communities more frequently and with more ferocity.
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The Associated Press is collaborating with Blue Ridge Public Radio, Honolulu Civil Beat, CalMatters and Centro de Periodismo Investigativo in Puerto Rico to examine how school communities are recovering from the disruption of natural disasters.
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In the North Carolina mountains, the challenge of recovery is especially acute. After all, many families in rural, low-income areas already deal with challenges such as food insecurity and rent affordability, said Cassandra Davis, a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill public policy professor.
“I would almost argue that they don’t get the opportunity to recover,” Davis said.
Finding stable housing became all-consuming
After Helene flooded her rental home in Black Mountain, Bonnie Christine Goggins-Jones and her two teenage grandchildren had to leave behind nearly all their belongings.
“They lost their bed, clothes, shoes, their book bag,” she said.
The family lived in a motel, a leaky donated camper and another camper before moving into a new apartment in June.
Goggins-Jones, a school bus aide at Asheville City Schools, struggled to heat the camper during winter. Her grandchildren kept going to school, but it wasn’t top of mind.
The area around Asheville, western North Carolina’s largest city, still has a significant housing shortage a year after the storm.
The family of America Sanchez Chavez, 11, had to split up to find housing. Helene left their trailer home in Swannanoa uninhabitable, and money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency wasn’t enough to cover the renovations.
America and some relatives went to stay at her grandmother’s apartment, while her older brother lived at a friend’s house. Eventually, America moved with her mother to a room at a Black Mountain hotel where she works.
America said she is still frightened by rain or thunder.
“At one point when the rain actually got, like, pretty bad … I did get scared for a while,” she said.
Helene damaged more than 73,000 homes, knocking out electricity and water for weeks if not months. The destruction of local infrastructure also closed schools for large stretches of time, and a barrage of snow days exacerbated the time out of class even more. In rural Yancey County, which has approximately 18,000 residents, students missed more than two months of school last year.
Displaced students spread across North Carolina
After natural disasters, it’s common to see a surge in students living in unstable, temporary arrangements, such as sleeping on a couch, staying in a shelter, or doubling up with another family, according to research from UCLA’s Center for the Transformation of Schools. Those arrangements qualify students as homeless under federal law.
In Puerto Rico, more than 6,700 students were identified as homeless in Hurricane Maria’s aftermath during the 2017-2018 school year, the study found. Hawaii saw a 59% increase in its homeless student population following the 2023 Maui wildfires.
In Helene’s aftermath, student homelessness spiked in several hard-hit counties, according to AP’s analysis of data from the North Carolina Homeless Education Program.
Yancey County saw the region’s highest percentage increase. The number of homeless students went from 21 in the 2023-2024 school year to 112 last school year. All but 15 were homeless due to Helene.
Some students enrolled in other school systems, at least temporarily. Others never returned.
Terri Dolan of Swannanoa sent her two young children to stay with her parents in Charlotte ahead of the storm. After seeing the extent of the devastation, Dolan had them enroll in school there. They stayed over a month before returning home.
“My job is to make money for our family and their job is to go to school,’” Dolan says she’d always told her kids. “Just because the school wasn’t open here, I felt like they needed to go to school and do their job.”
Some districts receive federal money for services such as transporting homeless students to their usual school buildings and providing tutoring under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. But districts must apply in a competitive process, and they can’t request more money immediately after a natural disaster until the next application cycle. Many miss out on McKinney-Vento funding entirely.
Helene-impacted students made up at least a fifth of the homeless population in 16 counties, but only six counties received McKinney-Vento money last funding cycle. Nationally, only 1 in 5 school districts receives McKinney-Vento money due to limited funds, said Barbara Duffield, executive director of Schoolhouse Connection, a nonprofit that advocates for homeless students.
“If there’s a disaster, it’s going to involve districts that don’t get money from McKinney-Vento,” Duffield said.
Housing instability has a lasting impact
Gwendolyn Bode, a prelaw student at Appalachian State University, had to leave her mud-wrecked apartment complex after Helene. Told she couldn’t get campus housing, she found an Airbnb where she could stay at until her FEMA housing application went through, and then she moved into a hotel.
She felt like she was drowning as she tried to keep up with her classes and a part-time job.
“I can’t tell you what I learned,” Bode said. “I can’t even tell you when I went to class, because (mentally) I wasn’t there.” She found more stability after moving into an apartment for the spring semester.
For Natalie Briggs, now 13, the grief of losing almost everything, coupled with the tight quarters in her grandparents’ basement, sometimes got to her — and to her mother, Liz Barker. Barker said it felt like a “time with no rules” because there was so much to deal with on top of her job as a health care worker.
The circumstances sometimes led to friction. But Barker said overall, she and Natalie had “done pretty well” together.
“She’s been a little bit more loving since all of this happened,” Barker said, smiling at her daughter.
“I give her hugs and stuff,” Natalie said, “and I’ll tell her I love her, more than I did.”
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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
This recipe is amazing for a quick, fresh and tasty lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
1 package spring roll wrappers
8 large lettuce leaves (Romaine or Butter lettuce work well)
1 cup cooked protein of choice (shrimp, shredded chicken, or tofu work well)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup bean sprouts
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Peanut sauce or hoisin sauce for dipping (optional)
Instructions
1. Prep the protein and veggies Cook or reheat your protein of choice, then wash and pat the lettuce dry. Wash and cut up the veggies and herbs as well.
2. Assemble the wraps Place a leaf of lettuce on a plate, then fill it with the protein, some shredded carrots, a few cucumber slices, a sprinkle of mint and cilantro, a few bean sprouts, and some green onion. Then, tightly wrap the lettuce around the fillings.
3. Wrap and repeat Wrap the lettuce and fillings with a spring roll wrapper and repeat the process for each spring roll.
4. Serve and enjoy Serve the wraps immediately with peanut or hoisin sauce, if you’d like, and enjoy this quick, easy and balanced meal.
It’s almost officially fall! Celebrate the changing seasons with these delicious pumpkin muffins.
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup milk (or milk subsitute)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
2. Mix the dry ingredients In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
3. Mix the wet ingredients In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin puree, milk and vanilla together until smooth.
4. Combine dry and wet ingredients Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined.
5. Bake Line a 12-muffin tin with cupcake liners and fill each cup about 3/4 of the way up. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, then let the muffins cool for about 10 minutes.
5. Enjoy Serve warm and enjoy an early taste of fall.
By DANICA KIRKA, JILL LAWLESS, MICHELLE L. PRICE and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
WINDSOR, England (AP) — President Donald Trump relished the glow of a British royal spectacle as he opened a two-day state visit Wednesday, calling the hours of pageantry with King Charles III “one of the highest honors of my life” while also making time for a quiet tribute at Queen Elizabeth II’s tomb.
The grandeur-loving president soaked up all the revelry, from the largest guard of honor in living memory — with 120 horses and 1,300 troops — to carriage rides, an air show and a Windsor Castle state dinner.
President Donald Trump is relishing a day filled with British royal pageantry with King Charles III. (AP video by Mike Pesoli)
After the pomp comes the real work Thursday, when Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet to talk trade, technology and geopolitical issues.
No U.S. president, or any other world leader, has had the honor of a second U.K. state visit; Trump’s first was in 2019, during his previous term. The display of regal splendor was meant to bolster ties with Trump at a time when his America First policies are putting pressure on trade and security arrangements around the globe.
“This was the second state visit, and that’s the first, and maybe that’s going to be the last time, I hope it is actually,” Trump joked during the evening banquet.
The visit began with Prince William and his wife, Kate, meeting the presidential helicopter in the private Walled Garden on the vast Windsor estate, then walking Trump and first lady Melania Trump over to be greeted by Charles and Queen Camilla. A gigantic royal standard, the flag used for official celebration days, flew from the Royal Tower.
The guests traveled to the castle in a procession of horse-drawn carriages, past ranks of soldiers, sailors and aviators. The king and the Republican president chatted in the Irish State Coach during the short journey to the castle quadrangle, where both inspected an honor guard of soldiers in red tunics and bearskin hats.
They continued to chat and joke as the day progressed, with the king occasionally putting his hand on Trump’s back. The president stepped in front of Charles during a review of troops after the king gestured for him to do so. The king’s invitation avoided a violation of protocol, which was not the case in 2019, when Trump stepped in front of Queen Elizabeth.
Part of the day was spent at St. George’s Chapel on the castle grounds, where Trump placed a wreath in honor of Elizabeth, who died in 2022.
A full day of pomp and circumstance
The president and Charles toured the Royal Collection Display in an ornate room where officials laid out five tables of artifacts on U.S.-British relations.
Among the items were 18th-century watercolors and documents on the United States seeking independence from King George III. There were materials from the first trans-Atlantic cable, including messages between Queen Victoria and President James Buchanan, as well as a 1930s hot dog picnic that a young Elizabeth wrote about, and a large glass vessel that President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave the queen during a 1957 state visit.
The president later walked a red carpet on the castle’s East Lawn to watch the Beating Retreat, a military parade ceremony that featured 200-plus musicians, dates to the 1600s and was once used to call patrolling soldiers back to their castle at day’s end.
King Charles praised the “special relationship” between the UK and the US during his royal banquet toast, held for the occasion of US President Donald Trump’s state visit. (AP Video)
A scheduled flyover by F-35 jets from the U.K. and U.S. militaries was scrapped because of poor weather conditions. But the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force’s aerobatics display team, thundered overhead, leaving streaks of red, white and blue smoke in their wake.
Charles and Camilla presented the president and first lady with a handbound leather volume celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Union flag that flew above Buckingham Palace on the day of Trump’s inauguration in January. The royals also gave first lady Melania Trump a silver and enamel bowl and a personalized handbag by British designer Anya Hindmarch.
Trump gave Charles a replica of an Eisenhower sword, and Camilla received a vintage Tiffany & Co. gold, diamond and ruby brooch.
Serious talks coming
The history, tradition and celebrity of the royal family give it a cachet that means presidents and prime ministers covet joining them. In his talks with Trump, Starmer will promote a new U.K.-U.S. technology agreement. The British government hopes the deal, and billions in investment from U.S. tech companies, will help show that the trans-Atlantic bond remains strong despite differences over Ukraine, the Middle East and the future of NATO.
Ahead of the banquet, Trump and Charles walked together, leading a procession. Trump wore white tie, while his wife was in a yellow gown. Charles was in white tie with a blue sash, and Camilla in a blue gown with a tiara.
Beefeaters in traditional red uniforms and ruff collars lined the entrance to the castle’s St. George’s Hall for the dinner, which featured 100 staff members attending to 160 guests. The grand Waterloo table was set with 1,462 pieces of silver sparkling in the light from 139 candles and elaborate floral arrangements handpicked from the castle grounds.
The guests included Apple’s Tim Cook, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Open AI’s Sam Altman and golfer Nick Faldo. Also appearing was publishing mogul Rupert Murdoch, whom Trump recently sued for $10 billion over The Wall Street Journal’s report on a sexually suggestive letter purportedly written by Trump for disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The menu featured Hampshire watercress panna cotta with Parmesan shortbread and quail egg salad, along with Norfolk chicken ballotine. Dessert was vanilla ice cream bombe with a raspberry sherbet interior and lightly poached Victorian plums.
Trump avoids alcohol, but the bar offerings included a cocktail known as a trans-Atlantic whiskey sour infused with marmalade, Warre’s 1945 Vintage Port — Trump is the 45th and 47th American president — and Hennessy 1912 cognac Grande Champagne. That was the year Trump’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was born in Scotland.
The musical playlist included the theme from the James Bond movies and pop and rock staples, as well as top show tunes, often featured at Trump’s campaign rallies.
In his toast, Charles saluted Trump’s British roots and his recent visits to the U.K. In a nod to the president’s favorite sport, he said, “I understand that British soil makes for rather splendid golf courses.”
Trump mostly stuck to his prepared remarks and was on his best behavior, declaring, “This is truly one of the highest honors of my life” and sneaking in only one dig about his predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, by saying the U.S. was “sick” a year ago. He also touched on Britain’s contributions to literature, history and the arts and said “special” does not begin to do justice to his country’s relationship with the U.K.
“Together we’ve done more good for humanity than any two countries in all of history,” Trump said.
Trump being in Windsor doesn’t stop protests
Thousands of demonstrators marched through central London on Wednesday to protest Trump’s visit. Some held banners that said “No to the racism, no to Trump.” Though the activities were smaller than during Trump’s visit in June 2019, they included mini versions of the giant Trump baby blimp, an orange-tinted caricature of the president in a diaper that made a big impression during those demonstrations six years ago.
In Windsor, protesters projected an image of Trump and Epstein on a tower at the castle, a reminder of the president’s relationship with the late American financier. Police said they arrested four people.
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Lawless and Price reported from London and Weissert from Washington.
Starbucks workers in three states took legal action against the coffee giant Wednesday, saying it violated the law when it changed its dress code but refused to reimburse employees who had to buy new clothes.
The employees, who are backed by the union organizing Starbucks’ workers, filed class-action lawsuits in state court in Illinois and Colorado. Workers also filed complaints with California’s Labor and Workforce Development Agency. If the agency decides not to seek penalties against Starbucks, the workers intend to file a class-action lawsuit in California, according to the complaints.
Starbucks didn’t comment directly on the lawsuits Wednesday, but the company said it simplified its dress code to deliver a more consistent experience to customers and give its employees clearer guidance.
“As part of this change, and to ensure out partners were prepared, partners received two shirts at no cost,” the company said Wednesday. Starbucks refers to its employees as “partners.”
Starbucks’ new dress code went into effect on May 12. It requires all workers in North America to wear a solid black shirt with short or long sleeves under their green aprons. Shirts may or may not have collars, but they must cover the midriff and armpits.
Employees must wear khaki, black or blue denim bottoms without patterns or frayed hems or solid black dresses that are not more than 4 inches above the knee. The dress code also requires workers to wear black, gray, dark blue, brown, tan or white shoes made from a waterproof material. Socks and hosiery must be “subdued,” the company said.
The dress code prohibits employees from having face tattoos or more than one facial piercing. Tongue piercings and “theatrical makeup” are also prohibited.
Starbucks said in April that the new dress code would make employees’ green aprons stand out and create a sense of familiarity for customers. It comes as the company is trying to reestablish a warmer, more welcoming experience in its stores.
Before the new dress code went into effect, Starbucks had a relatively lax policy. In 2016, it began allowing employees to wear patterned shirts in a wider variety of colors to give them more opportunities for self-expression.
The old dress code was also loosely enforced, according to the Colorado lawsuit. But under the new dress code, employees who don’t comply aren’t allowed to start their shifts.
Brooke Allen, a full-time student who also works at a Starbucks in Davis, California, said she was told by a manager in July that the Crocs she was wearing didn’t meet the new standards and she would have to wear different shoes if she wanted to work the following day. Allen had to go to three stores to find a compliant pair that cost her $60.09.
Allen has spent an additional $86.95 on clothes for work, including black shirts and jeans.
“I think it’s extremely tone deaf on the company’s part to expect their employees to completely redesign their wardrobe without any compensation,” Allen said. “A lot of us are already living paycheck to paycheck.”
Allen said she misses the old dress code, which allowed her to express herself with colorful shirts and three facial piercings.
“It looks sad now that everyone is wearing black,” she said.
The lawsuits and complaints filed Wednesday allege that Starbucks’ dress code violates state laws that require companies to reimburse workers for expenses that primarily benefit the employer. Colorado law also prohibits employers from imposing expenses on workers without their written consent, according to that lawsuit. The plaintiffs seek damages on behalf of all Starbucks workers in those states, whether or not their stores are unionized.
Multiple plaintiffs, like Allen, said they requested reimbursement from Starbucks to conform to the dress code but were denied. Gilbert Cruz, an employee in Aurora, Illinois, requested $10 for the cost of removing a nose piercing.
Worker-led lawsuits in state courts are a shift in tactics in the multi-year effort to unionize Starbucks’ stores.
Starbucks Workers United, the labor group that has unionized 640 of Starbucks’ 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores, has filed hundreds of unfair labor practice charges against Starbucks with the National Labor Relations Board. The union filed an charge over the dress code in April but it is not a party in the current lawsuits.
But the board’s ability to hear cases has been curtailed under President Donald Trump. Trump fired an NLRB member in the spring, leaving the board without the quorum it needs to decide cases.
