Back in 2021, a video of a young woman went viral, and in that video, we could see a white woman crying and pleading to the Victoria Secret employee not to film her. But did you know, that clip went super viral and ended up in the media, and now, it has turned into a lawsuit, which many of you might know as Victoria Secret Karen Lawsuit. Let’s get to know what this is all about, what went down in the courtroom, and what’s the updates.
What Actually Happened?
A heated fight broke out between Abigail Elphick and Ijeoma Ukenta in a New Jersey Victoria’s Secret shop in July 2021. While Ukenta, a black woman, was shopping, Elphick, a white woman, stood too close to her. When Ukenta told Elphick to stay away, things got worse very quickly. Ukenta started filming the conversation and caught Elphick what looked like she was reaching for her phone, then dramatically falling to the floor, crying, and pleading not to be filmed. Millions of people watched this online and talked about it all over the world. This was pretty much the whole incident, and no one thought that it would go on to become this well-known lawsuit that we now know as “Victoria Secret Karen Lawsuit.”
The Legal Battle Begins
You see, in July 2023, Ukenta sued Elphick, Victoria’s Secret, and the mall’s security team. Ukenta said that the store employees and security guards didn’t care about her safety and ignored her worries. She said that they were careless and racist because they didn’t care, which made the problem worse. And remember, this was two years after that video went viral.
Though, Elphick went on to claim that she was having a mental health problem at the time of the event. Ukenta’s choice to record and share the film without her permission, she said, was harassment and an invasion of her privacy. Elphick’s defense focused on the fact that she lived in a complex for people with intellectual and developmental problems, which made the case even more complicated.
Public Reaction and Media Discussion
The video that went viral got a lot of attention from the people and the media, and yes, two years after that, people almost forgot about that. But ever since, people online have had very different opinions. Some defended Ukenta’s actions, while others said she was wrong to record and share the clip online. This event added to the ongoing discussion about the “Karen” phenomenon, a term for the spoiled or racist behavior that is usually linked to white women in similar scenarios. Though, a lot of people also talked about how wrong it is to record people in public without their permission, especially when they have mental health problems.
What’s Happened Since Then?
Alright, now, let’s get down to the actual victoria secret karen lawsuit update, shall we? Since the lawsuit was first filed, more former Victoria’s Secret workers have come forward to join it, saying they too were treated unfairly because of their race and were punished for it. This has made Ukenta’s case stronger and put more pressure on Victoria’s Secret to respond to these claims.
Internal papers from Victoria’s Secret have been made public, which adds fuel to the fire by showing possible systemic problems with racism. There are emails and memos from company leaders in these papers that seem to back up the plaintiffs’ claims. And sure, the release of these documents has further ruined Victoria’s Secret’s reputation overall and strengthened the plaintiffs’ case even more.
