Cargill Inc., one of the leading marketers of agricultural, food, financial, and industrial products and services, is under attack by African-Americans who claim that the company discriminates against black employees. In a lawsuit recently filed in the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, 25 current and former Cargill employees allege that the company intentionally pays African-American employees less than Caucasians and deliberately keeps blacks out of management positions.

This is the second major race or gender-related lawsuit filed against the company. The first suit, in 1985, led to company-wide changes. Cargill, which could be forced to pay damages exceeding $50 million, denies the allegations, saying it is prepared to fight the lawsuit.