Two San Antonio auto dealerships and their parent company have agreed to pay $430,000 to settle a federal lawsuit accusing them of excluding women from bonus opportunities, subjecting them to a hostile work environment and firing one worker a day after she filed a written discrimination complaint. The settlement covers Ingram Park Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Ingram Park Nissan and parent company Benson Enterprises Inc., resolving claims brought on behalf of former service advisers Rebecca Owen and Tammie Faulkner-Taylor.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the dealerships, alleging the companies treated the two women differently because of their sex, created a hostile work environment, and retaliated against Owen after she complained. According to the San Antonio Express-News, the consent decree was filed in U.S. District Court in San Antonio and still requires court approval. Owen intervened in the lawsuit to pursue her own individual claims and attorney fees.
Under the decree, Owen is set to receive a total of $410,000, broken into $121,188 in back pay, $121,187 in emotional-distress damages, and $167,625 in attorney fees and costs. Faulkner-Taylor will receive $20,000 in emotional-distress damages. Owen's attorney, Kala Dumont, said her client was grateful that the defendants agreed to the decree, according to the paper's reporting.
Claims of Exclusion From Bonus Pay
The EEOC's complaint, originally filed on September 25, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas under case number 5:24-cv-01072, came after the agency attempted pre-litigation conciliation with the dealerships. The EEOC alleged that the dealership's male service manager left both women out of communications about work and bonus opportunities, according to the EEOC.
Owen said in her complaint that the service manager made sexist remarks, diverted her customers to male advisers and took away her assistant. She also said she was excluded from work messages about bonuses and incentives, which she said reduced her commission income. Owen filed her EEOC charge in 2021 and no longer works for the dealerships, according to court filings reported by the Express-News.
Court filings cited by the same outlet described the service manager allegedly telling employees that women were “ignorant, lazy, or unqualified” to work as service advisers, and allowing staff to tell customers that Owen no longer worked there while she was still actively employed. Owen said the dealership fired her the day after she submitted a written discrimination complaint, and that it retained its fleet service business while reassigning her duties to a male adviser.
Judge Pushed for a Deal Before Trial
A jury trial had been scheduled for December 7, with U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez set to preside. Rodriguez had told the parties the case had problems and that they should consider settling, and said they should try to reach a reasonable settlement, according to the Express-News report. The consent decree resolves the case without a trial, and the defendants denied the allegations.
Philip Moss is the EEOC's lawyer on the case, while Lawrence Morales II represents the defendants, per the newspaper's account. The Express-News identified Randy Foust as managing director at the Ingram Park dealerships.
Required Changes to Workplace Policy
Beyond the monetary payments, the consent decree requires each defendant to adopt a written process for handling complaints of sex discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Managers and supervisors must report complaints or observed discriminatory conduct to human resources within three days, and the companies must keep a central record of complaints, investigate them promptly and impartially, preserve relevant evidence, and document any corrective action taken.
Employees found responsible for violations may face discipline up to termination. The decree also mandates annual employee training companywide, along with additional instruction specifically for managers and complaint investigators.
Larry Benson Sr. owned Ingram Park Auto Center and Benson Enterprises, and died at age 68 while traveling in Italy, according to KENS 5. Benson was a prominent local figure known for raising significant funds for San Antonio college scholarships.
Another Texas Dealership Has Faced EEOC Allegations
Austin-based Hi Tech Motorcars has also faced allegations from the EEOC.
Texas consistently accounts for roughly 10% of all employment discrimination complaints filed nationwide, the largest share of any state, according to data cited by Gen Re. Retaliation claims were the most frequently alleged basis among the 88,201 employment discrimination charges filed nationally in fiscal year 2025, per the Azadian Law Group.
