According to the EEOC's suit, Rizza Cadillac managers fostered the discriminatory work environment using offensive slurs, such as "terrorist," "sand n----r," and "Hezbollah," and making mocking and insulting references to the Qur'an and the manner in which Muslims pray.
John Rowe, director of the EEOC's Chicago District Office, managed the administrative investigation which preceded EEOC's lawsuit.
"Our investigation revealed that Rizza Cadillac failed to take prompt and effective measures to stop and prevent this abusive misconduct, as they were required to do by federal law," said Rowe. "Employees should be judged by their performance, not their religion or ethnicity."
Harassment based on national origin or religion violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (Case No. 1:13-cv-06696) this morning in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The case was assigned to District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. and Magistrate Judge Mary M. Rowland. It seeks monetary relief in the form of compensatory and punitive damages, an order requiring the dealership to implement measures to prevent a recurrence of harassment, and a permanent injunction against future discrimination.
"Employers may not allow managers to repeatedly make offensive slurs and insults about an employee's religion or national origin," said John C. Hendrickson, the EEOC's regional attorney in Chicago. "Comments implying that all Muslims are terrorists cannot be excused or minimized by calling it mere 'banter' about a minority ethnicity or religion. The EEOC stands ready to protect Muslim and Arab workers when they are subjected to such harassment."
Source: EEOC
This information is intended to be
educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.
