A Federal Civil Rights lawsuit has been filed against Gerber Collision and Glass.
A 21-year-old claims he was the victim of racist behavior, at the Novi location, where he recently quit.
Ernest Garner filed the lawsuit this week against the auto repair shop headquartered in Illinois and his supervisor in Novi. He worked at the Novi location on Novi Road for nine months, quitting just a few weeks ago.
He claims he was promoted twice and never received a raise, while his white co-workers did. He also claims he was constantly the target of racist comments, even though he complained to his supervisors.
Garner says he was forced to record his fellow workers. His lawyers gave us a few samples of the alleged workplace conversations.
Here's an example of one:
Co-worker: " You probably (expletive) take guys all around...milking the (expletive) clock. That's what most blacks do.
Ernest Garner: What?
CW: Most blacks do.
EG: Most blacks do what?
CW: Milk the (expletive) clock
The company released a statement saying quote, "Gerber Collision & Glass only learned of this action late Wednesday, and as of Thursday, we have not received a copy of the court filings. As such, we cannot offer any specific comment on that matter."
The suit seeks more than $1,000,000 in damages.
