> After a barista was arrested, his Starbucks manager was fired. Now, the manager is suing

> A Starbucks store manager who was fired after a barista allegedly spit into the drink of a Park Ridge police officer is suing the coffee chain, saying she was wrongly punished for her handling of the incident.
Kelly Hansen-Grosman was store manager at the Park Ridge Starbucks in 2019 when barista Kevin Trejo was transferred to the store and placed under her supervision, according to the lawsuit, filed Jan. 6 in Superior Court in Bergen County.   

> Around July 2, 2020, a supervisor told Hansen-Grosman of a rumor that Trejo had spit into the drink of a law enforcement officer during the shop's “Grab and Go” drink service, and Hansen-Grosman immediately began an investigation, she says in her complaint. 

> She interviewed ''each employee of Starbucks’ Park Ridge Store, all of whom denied having any knowledge about Trejo spitting into a law enforcement officer’s drink,'' according to the complaint.
Trejo, of Westwood, was ultimately arrested by Park Ridge police on July 20, 2020, and charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer. Trejo was "no longer an employee" as of July 21, 2020, Starbucks told NorthJersey.com

> But before the arrest, Hansen-Grosman says she felt "uncomfortable" firing Trejo because there was an open investigation into an earlier claim by Trejo that he had been the target of discrimination by another Starbucks employee. Hansen-Grossman says in her complaint that when she was made aware of the police investigation, she pledged her full cooperation.

> A Starbucks director who said he was concerned that workers might have been dishonest when investigated internally told Hansen-Grosman to fire Trejo and meet with the Park Ridge Police Department, according to the complaint. 

> After her meeting with police, Hansen-Grosman alleges, she endured retaliation for whistleblowing and discrimination on the basis of her attention deficit disorder, and, she says, Michael Scott, her regional director, accused her of being incapable of managing the Park Ridge store.

> According to her complaint, Scott asked to see text messages on Hansen-Grosman's personal cellphone regarding the time of the meeting with the Park Ridge Police Department and police union representatives, but then grabbed the phone out of her hand and proceeded to scroll through her text messages.
“I was made to feel like I did something wrong with how I reached out to the Police Department, but I was given no direction or guidelines from anyone about how to connect," Hansen-Grosman alleges. She was fired in January 2021.

> Hansen-Grosman says she began at Starbucks in 2000 as a barista in California and rose through the ranks. In her suit she describes a stellar career, with accolades for customer service, including an award from Starbucks in 2017 and recognition from Rep. Josh Gottheimer for Outstanding Customer Service to the Community.
Jay Go Guasch, a Starbucks representative, said, “We care deeply about the experience every partner has while wearing the green apron, but with respect to our partners we are unable to comment further on private employment matters and pending litigation.” 

> Hansen-Grosman is seeking monetary compensation including back pay. She also wants Starbucks District Manager Matthew Phillips and Regional Director Michael Scott, who are named in the suit, to participate in additional harassment training and anti-discrimination training.
The criminal complaint against Trejo has not gone to trial. He faces charges of assaulting a law enforcement officer, tampering and creating a hazardous condition.
Starbucks operates more than 32,000 coffee stores, including about 18,354 in the United States, Canada and Latin America. 

> Shaylah Brown is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: browns@northjersey.com 
Twitter: @shaylah_brown