KENOSHA, Wis. — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a federal lawsuit against Kenosha Nissan alleging Black employees were subjected to racial discrimination and that employees who complained to management were threatened, disciplined and ultimately driven from their jobs. The federal agency alleges one Black manager was fired after complaining about racial harassment while a white manager involved in the same workplace confrontation was fired and rehired the following day.

The EEOC filed the nine-page lawsuit against Rohr-Kenosha Motors Inc., which does business as Kenosha Nissan, on Aug. 18 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. The agency is alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and is demanding a jury trial.

Allegations Of Racial Harassment
According to the federal complaint, several Black Kenosha Nissan employees began reporting alleged race discrimination and retaliation to the company’s human resources department in January or February 2024 and continued doing so through at least April.

The EEOC alleges an unnamed white sales manager compared a Black employee to an animal and assaulted him. The same manager allegedly called Black employees “slow” and “lazy” and made Black employees work in the back of the office.

The federal complaint does not identify the sales manager or general manager by name.

However, publicly available evidence reviewed by the Kenosha County Eye establishes who was publicly identified in those positions around the relevant period. A customer review published in November 2023 specifically identifies Chris Hendrickson as Kenosha Nissan’s general manager and Rob Garcia as its sales manager. DealerRater records also associate both Hendrickson and Garcia with Kenosha Nissan, including in dealership review records from 2024.

The EEOC itself does not name Hendrickson or Garcia as the managers accused in its complaint. KCE therefore cannot independently confirm that either man is the unnamed manager referenced in the lawsuit.

“Make Your Life A Living Hell”
The EEOC alleges the retaliation became explicit between February and April 2024.

According to the lawsuit, Kenosha Nissan’s unnamed general manager told a group of employees that if they went to human resources again, he would “make your life a living hell.”

On another occasion, the general manager allegedly yelled that he was “going back to being Diablo,” meaning the devil, that he was “watching all of your asses,” and that whoever went to human resources was “done.”

The EEOC alleges workplace changes followed within days. Work schedules were changed, access to office spaces became more closely regulated, and employees who had complained about the sales manager began receiving disciplinary write-ups for minor or allegedly fabricated violations.

One employee was allegedly written up three times in just six days after complaining to human resources. According to the EEOC, that employee had never previously been disciplined by Kenosha Nissan.

When another employee subsequently complained to human resources that the general manager was retaliating against her because of her earlier racial-discrimination complaints, the sales manager allegedly began referring to her as “Ms. HR.” The general manager then allegedly issued additional disciplinary write-ups.

The EEOC contends the threats and escalating discipline made the workplace intolerable and caused employees to believe they were going to be fired. Several ultimately resigned, which the federal government alleges amounted to constructive discharge.

Black Manager Fired; White Manager Rehired The Next Day
The lawsuit separately details what happened to one Black employee whom the EEOC identifies only as “Aggrieved Individual No. 1.”

According to the complaint, the employee complained directly to the general manager about racial harassment in April 2024. The general manager allegedly responded by telling him to “shut up” and “deal with it.”

On April 15, 2024, Kenosha Nissan fired him. The EEOC alleges the firing was retaliation for opposing racial discrimination.

The federal government is also alleging the firing itself constituted race discrimination.

The Black employee had recently been promoted from salesperson to manager and, according to the EEOC, had been meeting the dealership’s employment expectations. On April 15, he and the white sales manager got into an argument.

Kenosha Nissan initially fired both men.

The white sales manager was rehired the next day, according to the lawsuit. The Black manager was not.

The EEOC alleges the two managers were treated differently because of the Black employee’s race.

EEOC Found “Reasonable Cause” In 2025
The lawsuit comes after a lengthy administrative process.

Two discrimination charges, Nos. 443-2024-02487 and 443-2024-02287, were filed with the EEOC. On July 31, 2025, the agency issued Letters of Determination finding reasonable cause to believe Kenosha Nissan had violated federal law by retaliating against a class of employees who complained about racial discrimination and by firing the Black manager in retaliation and because of his race.

The EEOC then attempted to reach an agreement with Kenosha Nissan through the federal conciliation process. Those efforts were unsuccessful, and on Feb. 27, 2026, the agency issued notices that conciliation had failed.

Federal Government Seeks Damages
The EEOC is asking a federal judge to permanently prohibit Kenosha Nissan from engaging in racial discrimination or retaliating against employees who complain about conduct prohibited by Title VII.

The agency also wants the dealership ordered to implement policies and programs designed to provide equal employment opportunities and eliminate the effects of the alleged discrimination.

For the affected employees, the EEOC is seeking back pay, potentially front pay instead of reinstatement, compensation for financial losses and damages for emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience and mental anguish. The federal government is additionally seeking punitive damages, prejudgment interest and its litigation costs.

The allegations in the complaint have not yet been proven at trial. Kenosha Nissan will have an opportunity to contest the EEOC’s allegations in federal court.