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Champaign-Area Bus Company Faces Harassment Lawsuit

A Champaign area-based bus company faces a federal lawsuit accusing it of discriminating and harassing customers and their families.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Monday that her office is suing Suburban Express Inc. and owner Dennis Toeppen. The transportation company provides bus service to college students in Illinois, Iowa and Indiana to the Chicago area. Madigan says her lawsuit "seeks to shut this company down for good."

The lawsuit comes after a December mass-marketing email that told riders they "won't feel like you're in China when you're on our buses." 

Madigan says Toeppen bans and publicly shames or embarrasses customers. She says he has published websites attacking individual customers along with publishing credit card and bank account numbers.

Suburban Express Inc. representatives didn't immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.

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