Female customers labelled 'dingbats'

CHICAGO, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- A suburban Chicago auto dealership whose salesmen referred to female customers as "dingbats" has been accused of sexual harassment, court records show.

The Chicago office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says in addition to the unflattering term, female workers at Castle Chevrolet charge they were subjected to sexually hostile, abusive and threatening remarks, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

A case against Castle was filed in U.S. District Court after voluntary "conciliation" failed, the EEOC said.

The commission's Chicago office has a reputation for being one of the most aggressive federal agencies.

It's the same office that won a sexual harassment case against Mitsubishi's Illinois factory that attracted national attention.