EEOC Sues Landmark Dodge and Landmark South for Sex Discrimination in Hiring and Retaliation

ST. LOUIS – Landmark Dodge and Landmark South, an Independence, Mo. auto dealership, violated federal law by segregating its sales and office employees by sex, hiring only men for sales jobs and women for office jobs and retaliating against employees who challenged the discriminatory hiring practices, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, for at least two years from May 2017 to May 2019, Landmark Dodge and Landmark South exclusively hired men for auto sales jobs and filled positions in its business development center with women. Cashier, clerical, and other office positions were also filled only with women. When a new human resources director and a new recruiter were hired in the fall of 2017, the companies’ owner and other managers told them to screen applicants based on sex because they believed women don’t make good salespeople, and the dealership was a male-centric environment. The agency further alleged that when the human resources director and recruiter opposed these practices, they were harassed and eventually forced to quit.

This alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits sex discrimination, including sex-segregated hiring, and retaliating against workers who oppose such discrimination. The EEOC filed suit (Civil Action No. 4:22-cv-614) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement via its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory, and punitive damages for the two human resources employees and damages for applicants who were denied jobs because of their sex and injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination.

“Making hiring decisions based on sex is bad business and against the law,” said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office. “Wise employers follow the direction of trained human resources professionals who encourage them to hire the most qualified applicants without consideration of sex or other protected status.”

“There is no justification for sex-segregated workplaces,” said David Davis, acting director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office. “Unfortunately, retaliation against workers who oppose discriminatory employment practices remains a persistent problem.”

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office oversees Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and a portion of southern Illinois.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employ­ment discrimination. More information about sex discrimination is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination.  More information about retaliation is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.