NEWPORT BEACH : Couple Sue Car Dealer Over Salesman’s Alleged Slurs

An Orange County couple have filed a lawsuit against Fletcher Jones Motorcars Inc., a Mercedes-Benz dealership, alleging that a sale gone bad turned defamatory when a salesman screamed at them as they left the dealership, “Don’t be such a Jew.”

Robert and Risa Groux state in a lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court that they went to Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz in Newport Beach on Aug. 5, intending to buy two new automobiles to celebrate the birth of their first child.

After completing a test drive, the couple decided to purchase two cars, the lawsuit states, but the salesman would not accept the price they were willing to pay.

The Grouxes said they would consider the price and come back the next day, the lawsuit states. As they tried to leave, however, the couple were stopped by the salesman, according to the lawsuit, who said: “You’re not Jewish! Why are you acting like this?”

The couple allege that the disparaging remarks did not end when they informed the salesman that Risa Groux is Jewish. In the lawsuit, they state that he responded, “I know, but she doesn’t have to act like one.”

Neither the owner nor the general manager of the Fletcher Jones Mercedes-Benz dealership could be reached Thursday to comment on the lawsuit.

Though the salesman is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, it alleges that he discriminated against the couple and that his behavior constituted a violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act.

A hearing has been set for Nov. 17 in the case. The Grouxes are seeking unspecified damages.