Barneys to Pay $525K in Race Probe

The high-end Barneys New York will pay $525,000 to settle allegations of racial profiling and discrimination at its Madison Avenue shop. The trendy department store was accused of singling out minority customers. New York state launched a probe into the allegations after two black patrons, Trayon Christian, 19, and Kayla Phillips, 21, filed a lawsuit. Phillips claimed she was “stopped, frisked, searched, and detained” for buying a handbag, and Christian said he was held in police custody for two hours after buying a belt. State Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman said an investigation demonstrated a “disproportionate number of African-American and Latino customers being detained for alleged shoplifting or credit-card fraud” at Barneys. Following the $525,000 settlement, which also included a series of reforms to be instituted at Barneys stores, Schneiderman said: “Profiling and racial discrimination remain a problem in our state, but not one we are willing to accept.”