EEOC Successfully Settles Hostile Work Environment Case with Auto Dealer

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently announced that Reliable Nissan agreed to settle charges of discrimination alleging race discrimination, national origin discrimination, religious discrimination, and retaliation.  Employees claimed that two managers from the company repeatedly used the “n-word” during a meeting and used derogatory terms to refer to African-American, Native American, Muslim, and Hispanic employees.  The employees alleged that the managers also made offensive jokes about the religious practices of Muslim and Native American employees, and that the workplace included offensive pictures towards minority employees.  The employees further claimed that the managers used offensive terms including “n*****,” “drunken Indians,” and “redskins.”  The alleged conduct is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Discrimination against employees on the basis of their race, religion, or national origin is illegal.  It is also illegal to retaliate against employees who complain about such discrimination.  The EEOC reported that Reliable Nissan agreed to pay $205,000 total to three employees who filed allegations of discrimination.  See https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/10-11-17.cfm