An Eastside car salesman said he was fired for complaining about racist comments at work.
Ruhul Kayshel was one of the top salesmen at Toyota of Kirkland for almost two years. When the dealership hired a new general sales manager last summer, Kayshel, who is from India, said he was singled out because of his race. He said his boss told him he "belongs working at a 7/11, not in a car dealership" and would often say "f*ck you Indians" to him in front of his customers.
Kayshel said his manager also made racist comment about his customers.
Today Kayshel filed a lawsuit against Toyota of Kirkland and O'Brien Auto Group. His suit claims a hostile work environment and racial discrimination and retaliation. Kayshel also claims the dealership shorted him on commissions, and he filed a separate class-action suit for wage theft.
Kayshel talked to the dealership's general manager about the racist comments. After the meeting he got fired in a text message that read, “The managers have decided to term your employment."
KIRO-7 went to Toyota of Kirkland and to O'Brien Auto Group. No one was available to talk about the lawsuit. Jim Aiken, the attorney for O'Brien Auto Group, called late Tuesday afternoon and said, "There's nothing to comment on until we know what the allegations are. I haven't seen the pleadings."
Aiken said the company would respond through the legal process.
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