Court documents state that Elijah Obeng, a former African-American employee of In-N-Out, is suing the company for discrimination and termination because of his natural hair.
The Californian alleged in court documents acquired by Fox Business that he was fired and subjected to discrimination because of his natural hair and texture. Obeng alleged in the lawsuit that he lost his job, had emotional distress, and had his reputation damaged.
The ex-employee is requesting $3 million in damages and $200,000 in lost wages for the time he was fired and beyond.
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Obeng worked for the West Coast fast-food burger company from his high school graduation in 2020 until his termination, according to court records. During that time, Obeng went to work with his natural hair, following In-N-Out’s grooming and uniform requirements. The court records specify that policy as clean-shaven with hair kept under a hat.
However, as Obeng’s hair grew longer, he was told to cut it or change it to comply with uniform regulations. According to court documents, Obeng then braided his hair in accordance with the rules, but management told him that his sideburns, which were a part of his hair, were to be chopped.
The court filings state that Obeng said he found the request to be discriminatory and insulting. According to Obeng, he began to receive different treatment, including reprimands for small offenses.
According to him, he was also subjected to more intense scrutiny and was not given the opportunity to progress in his job or get promoted. According to court records, Obeng was asked to go home to shave his sideburns somewhere around May 25, 2025, which made him feel publicly humiliated given that he was disciplined in front of other staff members.
Obeng never returned to the company since it required him to shave his sideburns.
A few days later, Obeng was fired for what the company said was from previous write-ups, but he alleged in the court documents that it was because of his “ancestry, color and race, including his natural hairstyle and hair texture.”
According to Obeng and his attorney, In-N-Out violated the CROWN Act, which shields workers from discrimination based on race and hair.
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Dove and the CROWN Coalition, in collaboration with then-State Senator Holly J. Mitchell of California, created the CROWN Act (which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) in 2019 to protect against racial discrimination in hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists, and knots in public schools and workplaces, according to the Act’s website.
This aims to ensure that people, particularly Black individuals, are not unfairly treated in workplaces, schools, or other settings because of how they wear their hair.
As is often the case with progressive legislation, California was the first state to pass a CROWN law, amending its Fair Employment and Housing Act to include language about hair discrimination, according to GovDocs.
The CROWN Act is an official law in 27 states.
