AMZN Amazon.com Inc

By Sebastian Herrera 

Amazon.com Inc. is suing New York's attorney general to prevent the state from potentially taking legal action against the company over its handling of worker safety during Covid-19 and firing of one of its warehouse workers last year.

In a complaint filed Friday in federal court in Brooklyn, Amazon said that New York Attorney General Letitia James has threatened to sue the company if it doesn't agree to a list of demands, including reducing its production speeds and performance requirements and paying "large sums" to the fired worker, whose name is Christian Smalls.

The state "lacks the legal authority it purports to wield against Amazon, " the Seattle-based company says in the complaint, arguing that its operations are "governed by federal law and enforced by federal regulators."

Amazon is asking a judge to rule that Ms. James lacks the authority to regulate workplace safety and prevent her from pursuing litigation against the company over the issues.

"We will not be intimidated by anyone, especially corporate bullies that put profits over the health and safety of working people," Ms. James said in a statement Friday. "We remain undeterred in our efforts to protect workers from exploitation and will continue to review all of our legal options."

The company declined to comment beyond its complaint.

Write to Sebastian Herrera at Sebastian.Herrera@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 12, 2021 15:08 ET (20:08 GMT)

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