BROCKTON — In the four months Arthur Haynes worked at White's Bakery last year, his colleagues and supervisors used numerous racist slurs and mocked him for his speech impediment, according to a court complaint filed by the state attorney general's office.

"Unsurprisingly, the combination of the unabashed mocking of Mr. Haynes's stutter and the repeated use of offensive racial epithets in Mr. Haynes's presence created a hostile work environment," the complaint reads. Haynes is of mixed racial descent, the complaint explains, and speaks with a stutter.

The suit names the business, White's Bakery, manager Brian White and head baker Joseph Sinkiewicz as defendants.

Haynes started at White's Bakery in July 2018, working as a baker. Soon after, the complaint alleges, he overheard a co-worker mocking his speech. The next day, Haynes confronted the man he thought had mocked him, Alex Jenkins. When confronted, the complaint says, Jenkins got angry and yelled that Hayes didn't know what he was talking about.

White, the manager, saw this confrontation, and asked Haynes what had happened. When Haynes said he thought Jenkins was mocking him, White said he thought he was mistaken. Haynes had misunderstood, White said. He called Jenkins and Sinkiewicz, Haynes' direct supervisor, into his office. Sinkiewicz said Haynes probably assumed Jenkins was mocking him because he had been made fun of in the past. In the complaint, Haynes said he had never in his adult life been mocked for his speech — until then. Jenkins told Haynes he would never make fun of something that could not be controlled.

As the men left the meeting, White said, "It's like Trump said, boys can't be boys anymore."

The ease with which White dismissed Haynes's account of what happened was upsetting, the complaint says. The assumption that he had been mocked in the past was hurtful too, Haynes said. Haynes did not feel comfortable at work, but did not quit because he needed the money.

Though, in the fall of 2018, the complaint said, Sinkiewicz started using more racial slurs at work, including regular use of the N-word. According to the complaint, Sinkiewicz called the state of Alabama "n-----ville," and termed cleaning the floor "n----- work." The complaint alleges Sinkiewicz occasionally repeated jokes by black comedians Dave Chappelle and Eddie Murphy, which involved the N-word. Singer Bobby Brown was a "crackhead n-----," Sinkiewicz said, according to the complaint.

Other employees also used discriminatory language, like "Black people are always causing trouble," it states.

Haynes was troubled by these comments. He eventually told Sinkiewicz that his use of the N-word was not acceptable. The complaint alleges Sinkiewicz walked away without saying anything, but later approached Haynes to apologize. Haynes told Sinkiewicz he would speak with the bakery's management about what had been happening, and said he could not work with Sinkiewicz anymore.

The next day, Haynes spoke with John DeSimone, who handles the bakery's finances. DeSimone wanted to apologize on behalf of White's Bakery. Haynes said he could not work for the bakery anymore, and gave two weeks' notice of his intent to quit. DeSimone asked him to reconsider, saying Sinkiewicz had been reprimanded.

Later that day, Haynes said he overheard Sinkiewicz and Jenkins mocking him again.

The following Monday, Oct. 29, 2018, Haynes sent an email to White, saying he would not be coming back to work. "I don't think this should come as a surprise," Haynes wrote in an email. No one who had mocked him or used racist epithets had faced any consequences. Sinkiewicz's behavior, "is not a one-off incident, but a habitual pattern of harassing and racist behavior," Haynes wrote.

White replied, "I'm sorry to see you go. We're addressing the issue and you're right, it was completely unprofessional. You were a great worker and will be an asset to someone."

On Monday, the Massachusetts attorney general's office filed a complaint in Plymouth Superior Court, alleging White's Bakery, White and Sinkiewicz violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by creating a hostile work environment, and by allowing Haynes to be harassed and mocked for his race and disability. The complaint alleges that the harassment caused Haynes severe emotional harm, and forced him to quit his job.

The suit seeks an injunction to prevent the bakery and its employees from engaging in discriminatory conduct, and unspecified damages for the harm caused to Haynes and other employees.

The Enterprise reached out to White's Bakery for comment, but did not immediately receive a response Tuesday afternoon.

White's Bakery also has locations in Hingham, Mansfield and Wellesley.

“No employee should feel unsafe at work or be subjected to offensive and hateful language by an employer,” said Attorney General Maura Healey, in a statement. “We have sued this company and its managers to put an end to this type of discriminatory treatment and will hold accountable those who create hostile work environments.”

“Workers should be able to go to work, do their job and go home without being harassed, mocked and called racial slurs,” said Phyllis Ellis, president of the Brockton Area Branch NAACP. “People discriminate against people who do not look like them because they think they can. I hope this lawsuit will help bring real change at White’s Bakery.”