https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/02/17/black-franchise-owner-ex-as-player-sues-mcdonalds-over-bias-claims/ > CLEVELAND — The Black owner of 14 McDonald’s franchises says the company has shown more favorable treatment to white owners and denied him the opportunity to buy restaurants in more affluent communities, according to a civil rights lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Youngstown. > The lawsuit filed by Herb Washington, a former Michigan State track star who played for parts of two seasons with the Oakland Athletics in the mid-1970s, said the Chicago-based company’s discriminatory practices has led to a $700,000 sales gap between Black-owned franchises and those owned by white people.