Ace Hardware manager hung noose in Arlington store on Juneteenth, lawsuit states
A former employee of an Ace Hardware store in Arlington has filed a million-dollar lawsuit against the company, alleging racial discrimination, according to court documents filed Tuesday in Dallas County.
Plaintiff Devondrick Hartsfield, who is Black, said he was terminated after reporting that his white manager had hung a black backpack from a noose in the store’s warehouse on Juneteenth in 2023, according to the lawsuit.
Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States.
Hartsfield’s manager told him to look at the noose as they walked through the warehouse that day, according to the lawsuit.
Hartsfield returned to the warehouse with a cashier later in the day to take pictures of the noose, which he later included with a report to the store’s human resources department.
The noose was still hanging when Hartsfield returned to the store the next day, according to the suit.
The store named in the lawsuit is Van Marcke’s Ace Hardware, 715 W. Lamar Blvd., Arlington.
After filing a discrimination complaint, human resources representatives for the company told Hartsfield there would be an investigation, according to the lawsuit. Hartsfield was later suspended without pay and never brought back to work.
Hartsfield’s position was later filled with someone who is not Black, according to the lawsuit.
“Mr. Hartsfield raised legitimate concerns about a racially hostile work environment,” lawyer Jason Smith said. “Instead of addressing them responsibly, Ace Hardware’s management effectively ended his employment.”
Representatives for Ace Hardware could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
This story was originally published June 17, 2025 at 7:54 PM.
