GEORGIA CAR DEALERSHIP SUED BY EEOC FOR RACE DISCRIMINATION

Augusta Car Dealer Subjected Black Sales Manager to Racial Abuse, Agency Charges

ATLANTA  – In a race discrimination lawsuit filed today, the U.S. Equal Employment  Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged that a GM Pontiac-Buick car dealership  committed racial discrimin­ation at its Augusta,  Ga., location. The EEOC charged that a white male management  consultant subjected an African American sales manager to a racially hostile  work environment over a four-month period.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit  against S&H Thomson, Inc., doing business as Stokes-Hodges GM Pontiac Buick,  the white consultant visited the GM Pontiac Buick location three to four times  a week and never missed an opportunity to make racially derogatory comments  towards the black sales manager. The man  was subjected to humiliating and degrading comments every time the consultant  visited the GM Pontiac Buick dealership and almost always in the presence of  other people. In one instance, the consultant said to the black manager who was  conducting training at the time “Come here n----r; get me some coffee, n----r.”  This offending conduct occurred in front  of approximately nine salespeople and managers, the EEOC said.

The victim complained to the  employer about the offensive conduct, but the discrimination continued until  the end of the black sales manager’s employment. The EEOC charged that the employer failed to  take prompt remedial action designed to stop the harassment, as required by  federal law.

Race discrimination violates Title  VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The  EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The federal agency seeks compensatory and  punitive damages for the harmed employee, as well as injunctive relief designed  to prevent such discrimination in the future.

“This is an outrageous case where an  African American employee was subjected to humiliating and degrading behavior,”  said Bernice Kimbrough, district director for the EEOC’s Atlanta District  Office.

Robert Dawkins, regional attorney  for the Atlanta District Office, said, “This is an example of severe and  pervasive acts of racial harassment which no employee should be allowed to  endure. The EEOC is committed to taking  action to eliminate this type of misbehavior from the workplace.”

During Fiscal  Year 2008, the EEOC received 33,937 race discrimination charge filings, up 11  percent from the prior year. Of the total, approximately 8,600 race charges  alleged racial harassment, up 23 percent from nearly 7,000 such filings in FY  2007.

The EEOC enforces federal laws  prohibiting employment discrimination.  Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency’s web site  at www.eeoc.gov.