Miss Phillips said she proved by clear and convincing evidence that punitive damages were warranted under the New Jersey law. She claims straw bucks started punishing white employees who weren't involved weeks later in a bid to publicly prove they were handling the incident. The two black men ended up reaching a settlement with starbucks in the aftermath for an undisclosed sum in an offer of a free college education. They were both 23 years old at the time separately they reached a deal with the city for a symbolic $1 each and a promise from officials who set up a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.