Progressive insurance faces lawsuit for alleged racist grants by America First Legal.
Conservative Legal Group Sues Progressive Insurance for Racial Discrimination
The conservative legal group America First Legal has filed a lawsuit against Progressive Insurance, accusing them of racial discrimination in their grant program for small businesses.
The grant, called the 2023 Driving Small Business Forward grant, offered $25,000 grants to be used for the purchase of a commercial vehicle. However, it was only open to black small business owners, which the class-action complaint argues is unlawful.
“All Americans deserve to be free from racial discrimination, yet major corporations across the United States inject racial considerations into every aspect of their business operations, employment practices, and so much more,” said Gene Hamilton, America First Legal vice president and general counsel. “As alleged in our complaint, our client — who is a small business owner fighting to create a better life for himself and his family — was denied a contract with Progressive that would have provided him with $25,000 toward the purchase of a new truck solely because of the amount of pigment in his skin.”
The class action lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, argues that the grant’s limitations are illegal because it is unlawful to racially discriminate when making contracts.
Nathan Roberts, the owner of Cleveland-based Freedom Truck Dispatch, received an email from Progressive about the grant opportunity. However, as he filled out the grant application, he was prompted that it was only for black-owned businesses. Roberts, who is white, was therefore ineligible to apply.
“Progressive’s racially-discriminatory arrangement is offensive to the American ideal, and we will fight to vindicate his rights and the rights of all similarly situated Americans,” added Hamilton.
Progressive had previously highlighted the grant and the 10 recipients in a press release, where they celebrated their support for black business owners through the grant.
“At Progressive, we celebrate all business owners, yet we understand Black business owners still face unique challenges,” said Karen Bailo, commercial lines president at Progressive Insurance.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Progressive Insurance for comment on the lawsuit.
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