BY JANE PRENDERGAST
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FLORENCE -- Florence car dealer Nissan Towne is blamed in a federal lawsuit for allegedly allowing employees to harass a Hispanic salesman who was fired while he was one of the top sellers.
Jorge Yben worked for Nissan Towne six months before he was fired in February. But he says for all of that time, he was subjected to rude and racial comments made by his co-workers. When his supervisors did nothing to stop the harassment, he says they effectively condoned the behavior and created a hostile, abusive workplace for him.
One co-worker, the suit said, harassed him because he spoke Spanish to Spanish-speaking customers. He also claims the dealership hired employees with "certain connections" or who were sympathetic to the Ku Klux Klan.
Mr. Yben, 39, of Walnut Hills is suing the dealership in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. He claims the employees' comments and the company's inaction add up to a violation of his civil rights.
The dealership denies all of Mr. Yben's claims, except the one about him being a top salesman. He was, they agreed in court papers, but they also said he was terminated because of inadequate job performance.
The company, represented by attorney Gates Richards, says Mr. Yben complained once, not repeatedly, and that management took "remedial measures." Any damage to Mr. Yben, according to the company's response to the suit, was a result of Mr. Yben's own conduct or other actions over which the dealership had no control.
The dealership also asserts that the suit was filed in the wrong jurisdiction, since the company's main office is in Kentucky and the alleged incidents occurred in Kentucky.
Mr. Yben wants more than $75,000 to cover medical treatment he has undergone since his firing, as well as unspecified punitive damages.
