Amazon sued for slowing deliveries to 2 Black zip codes in D.C.

Amazon is accused of slowing deliveries to 2 predominantly Black zip codes successful Washington, D.C., portion inactive charging for memberships that committedness fast-delivery benefits, according to a suit filed Wednesday.

The complaint, filed successful District of Columbia Superior Court, claims Amazon secretly stopped offering Prime transportation services (same-day, one-day and two-day) to residents of 20019 and 20020 — zip codes wherever Black radical marque up the bulk of the households.

The suit alleges Amazon started relying wholly connected third-party transportation partners, similar UPS and USPS, to work those 2 areas successful mid-2022. In the past 2 years, the magnitude of Prime packages delivered wrong 2 days person dropped from astir 72% to 24%, the suit claims.

The D.C. lawyer general’s office says Amazon did not archer caller oregon existing customers astir losing 1 of the biggest draws of Prime membership.

“Amazon is charging tens of thousands of hard-working Ward 7 and 8 residents for an expedited transportation work it promises but does not provide,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said successful a statement. “While Amazon has each close to marque operational changes, it cannot covertly determine that a dollar successful 1 zip codification is worthy little than a dollar successful another.”

Amazon countered that the alteration was made to support its workers.

“There person been circumstantial and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages,” spokesperson Kelly Nantel said successful a statement. “We made the deliberate prime to set our operations, including transportation routes and times, for the sole crushed of protecting the information of drivers.”

“The claims made by the lawyer general, that our concern practices are someway discriminatory oregon deceptive, are categorically false,” Nantel added.