CVS Racist Slur Against Korean Woman Results in Federal Discrimination Lawsuit; Woman Asking $1 Million In Damages
CVS has been sued over racist slurs by a Korean-American woman. In a new federal discrimination lawsuit , Hyun Jin Lee, of New Jersey alleges that a CVS employee in the photo lab used a racial slur on her receipt.
Lee, 37, who describes herself as an "adult ethnic Korean", found that her name had been changed to "Ching Chong Lee" on the CVS receipt that was attached to an envelope containing her photos. She said she was "shocked, stunned, mortified, humiliated, and severely distressed" at the name change.
The alleged incident occurred when in February at a CVS pharmacy in Egg Harbor City, NJ. An image of the receipt has been included as evidence in the case and was obtained by TMZ. In a complaint emailed to CVS, Lee wrote "Do you think it's funny? It's very disturbing to me!!!!" She added, "why doesn't he just call me Chink! It has the same derogatory meaning!!!!!"
CVS responded that they were "very sorry" to hear about her experienve and said that employee would be "counseled and trained" and that "this incident will be addressed at store level". Lees's taken it further than that, though.
Lee's U.S. District Court complaint, dated April 16th, seeks $1 million in damages. It further breaks down why she took issue: "Ching chong is a pejorative term sometimes used by speakers of English to mock people of Chinese ancestry, or other Asians who may be mistaken for Chinese."