New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Amazon alleging the company did not provide adequate health and safety measures for employees at facilities in New York state. It also alleged the company took retaliatory actions against multiple employees during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The attorney general opened an investigation into Amazon back in March 2020 following complaints. The investigation focused on two facilities with a combined workforce of 5,000 people: a fulfillment center on Staten Island and a distribution center in Queens.

“While Amazon and its CEO made billions during this crisis, hardworking employees were forced to endure unsafe conditions and were retaliated against for rightfully voicing these concerns,” James said.

James’ lawsuit alleges evidence that Amazon’s health and safety response violated state law with respect to cleaning and disinfecting protocols and contact tracing among other things.

The lawsuit also alleges that employee Christian Smalls was fired after making complaints about Amazon’s practices to a manager and through the media. Another employee who made complaints, Derrick Palmer, received a final written warning.

In a statement to NPR, Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said, “We care deeply about the health and safety of our employees, as demonstrated in our filing last week, and we don’t believe the attorney general’s filing presents an accurate picture of Amazon’s industry-leading response to the pandemic.”