A recent lawsuit initiated by Washington D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb claims that Amazon is intentionally delaying Prime deliveries to select neighborhoods within the city, particularly those predominantly inhabited by Black residents. Filed on December 4, the lawsuit contends that Amazon instituted a secretive “delivery exclusion” policy in mid-2022, affecting zip codes in southeast and northeast D.C. According to the allegations, this policy effectively removed Amazon’s own delivery vehicles from these areas, denying Prime members the promised one-day, two-day, or same-day shipping services. Schwalb posits that this conduct breaches consumer protection regulations.

The impacted regions, particularly zip codes 20019 and 20020 in Wards 7 and 8, are labeled as “historically underserved” and primarily Black. Schwalb reproached Amazon’s behavior, asserting, “While Amazon has every right to implement operational changes, it cannot secretly conclude that a dollar in one zip code has less value than a dollar in another. Amazon is charging tens of thousands of diligent Ward 7 and 8 residents for a premium delivery service it guarantees but fails to deliver.”

This is not Amazon’s first experience with accusations related to discriminatory delivery methods. A 2016 *Bloomberg* investigation uncovered that Amazon’s free same-day delivery service frequently left out mainly Black neighborhoods. At that time, Amazon explained the disparities were due to the absence of nearby warehouses but subsequently broadened same-day delivery to include the affected neighborhoods in cities like Boston, New York City, and Chicago amid public scrutiny.

In reaction to the current lawsuit, Amazon has refuted the allegations, labeling claims of “discriminatory or deceptive” practices as “categorically false.” Kelly Nantel, an Amazon spokesperson, clarified that the policy was established to ensure driver safety. “In the zip codes in question, there have been specific and targeted acts against drivers delivering Amazon packages,” Nantel conveyed in a statement. “We made the deliberate choice to adjust our operations, including delivery routes and times, solely to safeguard the safety of our drivers.”