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Former Taco Bell employee Juanita O'Connell sues Mexican-inspired franchise for being prejudice against Hispanics. Shutterstock/Rob Wilson

A former Taco Bell manager is reportedly suing Taco Bell in federal court, claiming that the Mexican-inspired fast-food chain fired her for hiring Hispanics in Indianapolis, Indiana. Mexican-American Juanita O'Connell, who has worked at the company since 1987, is seeking back pay and damages, according to Courthouse News. O'Connell, 60, filed papers on Wednesday, citing that a superior saw a Hispanic employee and yelled: "Didn't I tell you not to hire Hispanics?"

In a statement given to the The Huffington Post, Taco Bell has denied the allegations made by O'Connell. "While we haven't been served with the complaint, these are very serious allegations and if true, are not a reflection of our culture or standards," said Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch to The Huffington Post. "We've launched an investigation to get the facts."

But O'Connell's attorney Joel Paul claims otherwise. Paul disclosed that O'Connell's regional coach told her to stop hiring Latinos and she did not heed those orders. Two weeks after her superior's outburst, a supervisor fired her for an E-Verify violation -- E-Verify is a government system to identify undocumented workers.

Should O'Connell's allegations be true, then someone needs to remind Taco Bell that Hispanics are the largest minority group in the country, accounting for 17.1 percent of the nation's population. In 2013, the Latino population grew 2.1 percent to 54 million but the Pew Research Center notes that 78 percent of that growth is accountable by natural increase (births minus deaths).

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