Barber Dodge and Fairfield Toyota in Solano County, California, will pay $550,000
to settle a lawsuit alleging seven former employees were subjected to discrimination
because of their Afghani national origin, dark skin color, and Muslim faith,
according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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Download NowThe lawsuit alleged the workers were called "terrorists" and "thieves"
between June and December 2000. The suit also alleged the workers were subjected
to constructive discharge and retaliation.
Under the terms of the consent decree, Barber Dodge and Fairfield Toyota deny
all charges. The dealerships will pay the seven former employees $550,000, and
will conduct training to prevent future discrimination, revise anti-discrimination
policies, and implement an effective complaint procedure, according to the EEOC.
"Strikingly, this behavior all occurred prior to 9-11 but around the time
when bin Laden and Afghanistan were in the news related to other terrorist incidents,"
says EEOC regional attorney William Tamayo. "This case together with another
EEOC case settled last March for $1.1 million, involving harassment of Muslim
Pakistani steel workers, reveals that Middle Easterners and Muslims have been
the targets of discrimination for quite some time."
Five of the employees were represented by Bruce Bernstein of Law Offices of
Bruce Bernstein in Lafayette, California and Robert Stricker of Stricker &
Ball in San Diego.