In a compelling legal battle, an individual has filed a lawsuit against a major car rental company and one of its employees, alleging racial discrimination and defamation. The complaint was filed by Clarence E. Owens in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on November 23, 2025, targeting Enterprise Holdings, Inc., doing business as Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and an employee named John Hill.
The case centers around events that transpired in November 2024 when Owens attempted to rent a vehicle from Enterprise’s Burlington, NJ location. According to the complaint, Owens reserved a rental vehicle online to assist a family member in Virginia facing a housing emergency. Upon arriving at the location on November 23, 2024, Owens encountered issues with payment due to his credit card lacking an EMV chip—a method previously accepted by another Enterprise location. Despite offering alternative payment methods, Owens claims he was denied service by John Hill, who allegedly cited unspecified security concerns and implied potential fraudulence.
Owens asserts that Hill’s actions were racially motivated and culminated in false accusations to law enforcement about causing a disturbance. This led to police involvement but no arrest or further action against Owens. Subsequently, Owens found himself blacklisted from renting vehicles from Enterprise without explanation—a move he believes was retaliatory following his complaints about Hill’s conduct.
Owens’ lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating multiple laws including 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (racial discrimination), Title II of the Civil Rights Act (public accommodation discrimination), First Amendment retaliation under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (NJLAD), defamation through slander, intentional infliction of emotional distress, tortious interference with prospective economic advantage, negligent supervision and retention by Enterprise Holdings Inc., and respondeat superior liability for Hill’s actions.
Owens seeks substantial relief from the court: compensatory damages for each count alongside punitive damages amounting to $1 million per count for several allegations. He also requests injunctive relief to prevent further denial of services based on what he argues are false statements made by Hill.
The case is being handled pro se by Clarence E. Owens himself without any attorney representation mentioned in the filing documents. The presiding judge is not listed in this initial document but will be part of Case ID: 1:25-cv-17855-ESK-SAK.
Source: 125cv17855_Owens_v_Enterprise_Holdings_Inc_Complaint_District_New_Jersey.pdf
