A lawsuit filed against luxury label Louis Vuitton accuses the brand of racial discrimination over allegedly banning three black individuals from its US stores.

In the lawsuit, filed in a California district court, Tracy Renee Williams, her daughter Brandi, and friend Kristopher Enoch, claim that Louis Vuitton falsely identified them as drug dealers and refused to serve them in stores in Costa Mesa, Beverly Hills and Chicago.

Prior to the alleged blacklisting, Williams claims to have purchased over half million dollars worth of Louis Vuitton products annually. She also claims to have previously spent up to $60,000 dollars in one day and had VIP status with the brand.

According to the lawsuit, Williams had preordered $50,000 in merchandise to be delivered to her home from the Louis Vuitton store in Costa Mesa, California in September 2022. Instead, she reportedly received an email from the brand saying it could ‘no longer’ do business with her. However, when she sent her white assistant to purchase the same items in the store, he was treated ‘respectfully’ and ‘was not threatened with arrest,’ the lawsuit states.  When Williams visited a Louis Vuitton store in Beverley Hills, she was allegedly told ‘that she was no longer welcome to shop at the store and that she would be arrested if she stayed or returned.’

Both her daughter Brandi Williams and friend Kristopher Enoch claim to have been subsequently refused service in stores in Chicago and Beverly Hills respectively.

Planitiffs argues that the termination of their customer relationship could have no justification other than their race and that each are Black and are perceived as Black, whether racially or ethnically. They seek compensatory and punitive damages, as well as injunctive relief to address Louis Vuitton’s alleged discriminatory practices.