EEOC Files Subpoena Enforcement Action Against NAPA Auto Parts

DALLAS – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the filing of an action in federal court to enforce a subpoena issued during its investigation of allegations that Genuine Parts Company, which does business as NAPA Auto Parts, violated federal law by subjecting black job candidates to employment discrimination on the basis of their race.

Genuine Parts is an international service provider and distributor of automotive and industrial parts headquartered in Atlanta.

In May 2024, EEOC Commissioner Kalpana Kotagal filed a Commissioner’s Charge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against Genuine Parts. The charge stated that the company may have engaged in a nationwide failure to hire and recruit African American job candidates since 2019.

During its investigation, the EEOC issued a subpoena to Genuine Parts, requiring, among other things, data and documents evidencing its hiring and recruitment practices, including information about its job applicants and employees, identification of company locations and positions available, material showing its hiring and recruitment procedures, and any related complaints of discrimination at the company. The charge remains under investigation, and EEOC filed suit in federal court after Genuine Parts failed to comply with the subpoena.

“Title VII’s prohibition on race-based employment discrimination is colorblind, and its protections apply equally to all workers,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “The Commission will continue to use every tool Congress has provided to enforce the law, and when employers refuse to comply, the EEOC will not hesitate to use its full legal authority.”

The EEOC filed the subpoena enforcement action in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (U.S. EEOC v. Genuine Parts Company d/b/a NAPA Auto Parts, Case No. 3-26-mc-00009) after first attempting to obtain voluntary compliance with its investigative requests.

For more information on race and color discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Dallas District Office has jurisdiction over a substantial part of Texas and parts of southern New Mexico.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.