Mounting Legal Pressure: Compounding the operational challenges is a new legal threat. A federal court recently ruled that Starbucks must face a shareholder lawsuit alleging the company misled investors. The suit claims management failed to disclose the negative financial impact of its anti-union posture, which plaintiffs argue artificially inflated Starbucks’ stock price. This development moves the labor issue from a reputational concern to a direct financial and legal liability, adding a new layer of risk ...