News Article

A Different Cola War

Business Week

Published: June 07, 1999

WASHINGTON -- Activism is in Cyrus Mehri's DNA. Born on Bastille Day to Iranian parents who fled the Shah to raise their children in the U.S. , Mehri marched against the Vietnam War at age nine. Mehri's first job out of Cornell Law School was with Ralph Nader.

And in private practice, Mehri has brought successful public interest cases against Westinghouse, Fina, and Sikorsky Aircraft. Mehri's biggest victory was as part of the team that sued Texaco Corp. for racial discrimination and won a $ 176 million settlement. Mehri unearthed tapes of Texaco managers making racist comments in meetings and leaked them to The New York Times.

But Mehri's latest target may be his toughest yet. In a potentially explosive suit filed Apr. 22, Mehri has accused the Coca-Cola Co. of systemic discrimination against black employees -- even drawing upon what he claims are internal Coke documents showing stark differences in pay, promotions, and performance reviews between white and black employees.

Mehri believes he has hit a nerve with the suit, claiming that nearly 100 current and former Coke employees have approached him, eager to join a class action. ''I've never had so much evidence this early in any case,'' says Mehri, who predicts that his next filing, asking for class-action status, ''is going to blow people's minds. ''

For more information or the full story, contact Mehri & Skalet, PLLC.