Starbucks agreed to pay $1 million and restrict how it pursues board diversity to settle a Florida civil rights lawsuit over the company's hiring practices.

The Seattle-headquartered coffee chain settled Thursday, Sept. 17, with Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who sued the company in December 2025. Uthmeier alleged Starbucks violated the Florida Civil Rights Act by setting race-based hiring targets that amounted to unlawful quotas. Starbucks admitted no wrongdoing.

The settlement requires Starbucks to pay $1 million to the Florida Department of Legal Affairs for litigation costs and submit annual compliance certifications for four years. Starbucks must also drop participation in any organization that requires increasing the racial diversity of its board. Uthmeier's office said the terms apply companywide, not just in Florida, Reuters reported.

The Seattle Times reported that the agreement does not require changes to Starbucks' current programs or practices. The New York Post reported a broader framing: that Starbucks committed not to use race- or sex-based goals, quotas or preferences in employment companywide. Those two characterizations are in tension, and the full settlement text has not been published.

Pilar Ramos, Starbucks executive vice president and chief legal officer, said in a statement that the company resolved the matter without admitting wrongdoing. "We will continue to focus on offering great jobs and career opportunities to our partners who wear the green apron, while making a positive impact on the communities we serve in Florida and around the world," Ramos said.

The dispute traces to 2020, when Starbucks announced a goal of having people of color in at least 30% of corporate roles and 40% of retail and manufacturing positions. The company called the target aspirational. Florida called it a quota.

The investigation began in 2024 under then-Attorney General Ashley Moody, now a Republican U.S. senator. Uthmeier filed the lawsuit after taking office in 2025. His complaint accused Starbucks of discriminating against what it called "non-favored races," including White, Asian and multiracial employees, and of tying executive bonuses to diversity metrics, the Tallahassee Democrat reported. The lawsuit did not name any specific person harmed by the policies.

Florida initially sought $10,000 per alleged violation. Uthmeier's office said potential damages could have reached tens of millions of dollars or more. The settlement closed the case for $1 million.

Starbucks was not the only target. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a separate federal lawsuit in February 2025 making similar allegations. A federal judge dismissed that case in February 2026, finding Missouri had not identified a resident actually harmed. Missouri appealed.

Reuters reported the settlement is part of a broader push by Republican officials, including in the Trump administration, to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the private sector, government and education. Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol did not appear in any public statement about the deal.

Starbucks, headquartered at 2401 Utah Ave. South, must file its first annual compliance certification within the next year. The Missouri appeal remains pending in federal court.