D.C. Sues Amazon Over Delivery Discrimination

The District of Columbia's Attorney General, Brian Schwalb, has filed a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing the company of secretly excluding two predominantly Black and low-income zip codes—20019 and 20020—from its expedited Prime delivery services since mid-2022, while still charging the full membership fee. Amazon allegedly switched to using slower third-party delivery services like UPS and USPS in these areas, without informing the affected 48,000 Prime members, resulting in a significant drop in delivery speed. The lawsuit seeks to stop Amazon's alleged deceptive practices and demands financial damages for the impacted residents. Amazon defends its actions by citing safety concerns for its drivers due to specific threats in these neighborhoods but denies any deceptive or discriminatory intent. Schwalb argues that Amazon cannot devalue the membership of residents based on their location and insists on transparency with consumers regarding service capabilities. The issue adds to mounting scrutiny over Amazon’s delivery practices in minority communities.