Ex-Starbucks Park Ridge Manager says she was fired after Barista Spit in Cop’s Drink, Whistleblower lawsuit says

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Park Ridge NJ, a former manager for Starbucks says she was fired from her job at the store in Park Ridge after a barista she supervised was arrested for allegedly spitting in a police officer’s drink and her bosses blamed her for mishandling the incident.

The lawsuit states Hansen-Grosman’s termination was a result of her whistleblowing activities, including a complaint she made to human resources and for refusing to allow a manager to take screenshots of texts on her personal phone. The suit alleges violations of the New Jersey’s Conscientious Employee Protection Act, contends that she was discriminated against because of her ADD, and that Starbucks supervisors invaded her privacy.

According to court papers Kelly Hansen-Grosman, 49, of Hewitt, was a model employee who worked for Starbucks for over 20 years and had racked up a series of awards and commendations for her job performance at several stores in Bergen County.

In June 2016, Hansen-Grosman helped the coffee company open a new location on Kinderkamack Road in Park Ridge.

In December 2019, it all went south when Starbucks transferred a barista from the Closter store to Park Ridge, where he was under the supervision of Hansen-Grosman. The barista, who Hansen-Grosman said had “performance issues” such as being late and abandoning his shifts, was rumored to have”spit into the drink of a law enforcement officer,” .

According to the suit , Hansen-Grosman “immediately commenced an investigation into the allegation,” the lawsuit states. She also informed her supervisor of the alleged incident and scheduled a storewide meeting to discuss the rumor.

While not attending the meeting the accused barista texted Hansen-Grosman to request a transfer to a Starbucks in New York City. The day after the storewide meeting, a Park Ridge police detective called Hansen-Grosman to let her know an allegation had been made against the barista for allegedly spitting into the police officer’s drink.  Hansen-Grosman claims in the suit she promised the detective she would fully cooperate with the police investigation, then emailed a district supervisor to relay the allegation.

Park Ridge police arrested the barista on July 20, 2021, charging him with assaulting a law enforcement officer, tampering and creating a hazardous condition, according to the suit. Court records show the charges are still pending against the employee and he has not gone to trial. After the barista’s arrest, Hansen-Grosman claims that district supervisors demanded to see text messages on her personal phone detailing communications she had with the police department. When a supervisor asked if he could screenshot her texts, she refused, the suit states. Hansen-Grosman claims she was then asked if she had a personal relationship with the investigating police officer and if she saw him outside of work, the suit states.

Starbucks looking to cover their perceived  anti police politics and looking for a fall guy went after Hansen-Grosman. First  a series of corporate reprimands and slights, such as not acknowledging Hansen-Grosman’s birthday and refusing to include her in the “Store Manager Spotlights,” despite her continued excellent performance, the suit states. Hansen-Grosman was then threatened with termination and placed on months of probation for failing to have a barista witness corrective action forms she filed when two employees were late for shifts, the suit states.