Sixteen year-old Kati Moore claims that her 24 year-old Starbucks manager turned her into a sex slave.
Moore admits that there had been a pre-existing relationship with the manager in a friendship capacity. They had built a relationship upon mutual trust and confidence and had grown close over a period of months prior to her manager allegedly coercing her into a relationship of a more sexual nature. After sleeping together various times, the manager advised Moore that she was disallowed from telling anyone about their relationship. The sexual relations consensually continued, even though Moore states that she wanted no part of the sex and felt blackmailed into it.
In an interview with ABC News, Moore states that after being summoned numerous times by the supervisor for sex, she felt it to be an obligation — she then states that she did what she had to do. And slept with him.
Only when her mother found out about the escapades did Kati break her silence. She told her mother what had been going on over the period of time that she had been sleeping with the older manager and Moore’s mother took Starbucks by storm. Kati was interviewed by upper-level management about the recurring incidents and claim that the only retribution she received was to be moved to another store, where she claimed that the male manager still proceeded to request sex from her.
After further investigation of the allegations, the man plead guilty for having sex with a minor and spent four months in prison.
Moore is now suing Starbucks for pain and suffering and a lack of protection from the former employer. The issue goes to trial in the coming months.
The company maintains that Moore and the supervisor hid their relationship from Starbucks and even if she was only sixteen, she was to blame — not the company.