Starbucks is seeking to force a former senior vice president of infrastructure/foundational services to pay the company $830,000, according to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey this week.
When Starbucks hired Alan Rosa in January 2023, the coffee giant agreed to pay him $1 million in a signing bonus. The company alleges that Rosa agreed to pay back a pro-rated portion of that signing bonus if he left the company voluntarily during the first two years.
Rosa left the chain in May 2023, and Starbucks claims the pro-rated agreement requires Rosa to pay back the company the vast majority of the bonus.
Starbucks claims that Rosa admitted to owing the company this money in 2024, but later ceased communications about repayment.
Starbucks has weathered a series of controversies over executive departures and compensation in recent years. The chain’s leadership has been in flux since the departure of ex-CEO Kevin Johnson in 2022, which followed Starbucks Workers United’s first victories in union elections.
The leadership changes at the company included the departure of executives ranging from general counsel to president of its North American retail operations. Starbucks hired Brian Niccol in late 2024 in an effort to stabilize leadership in the face of a sales and brand identity crisis.
But Niccol’s appointment was accompanied by controversy over return-to-office mandates and the company’s decision to allow him to commute to Seattle by private jet. Niccol’s pay package also drew scrutiny: The Guardian reported Niccol’s sign-on compensation could be worth up to $113 million, while Starbucks Workers United claimed Niccol’s pay was equivalent to about $50,000 an hour.
