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A former Walgreens employee has filed a lawsuit accusing the pharmacy giant of failing to protect her from violence, harassment, and racial discrimination at a Santa Monica store.
The complaint, filed in Santa Monica Superior Court, alleges that the company’s inaction created an unsafe work environment that ultimately forced the employee, Kentrice Benjamin, to resign.
Benjamin, who is Black, is seeking at least $500,000 in compensatory damages along with unspecified punitive damages. The case also includes claims of workplace harassment, racial discrimination, and multiple violations of California’s Labor Code.
A Walgreens representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Allegations of unsafe and hostile conditions
Benjamin began working as a shift leader at the Lincoln Boulevard location in March 2024. Her complaint describes the store as being routinely overrun by “vagrants, inebriates, drug addicts and chronic shoplifters.”
According to the filing, Benjamin and her colleagues repeatedly asked management to improve store security, but their requests went unanswered. She claims she was “chronically threatened and attacked” and subjected to racial slurs, including being called the “N-word” by intruders.
“She would frequently end her evening in tears at the horrific and stressful work environment,” the lawsuit states.
Rather than directing employees to avoid confrontation, Benjamin alleges that her manager instructed her to challenge shoplifters and “tell them to not come back.” The situation escalated when she was allegedly “attacked and assaulted and battered and spit on by a violent serial shoplifter.”
Benjamin says she resigned after the incident, citing unsafe conditions and emotional distress.
Wage and labor code violations alleged
Beyond safety concerns, Benjamin also accuses Walgreens of failing to provide meal and rest breaks, not reimbursing her for work-related phone calls made from her personal device, and withholding final wages at the time of her resignation.
The lawsuit claims she has suffered lost income and emotional trauma as a result of her experience.
The case adds to a growing list of workplace safety and discrimination complaints being brought by retail workers who say they are exposed to increasing risks without adequate protection or support.
