Like any consumer-facing industry, car rental companies face potential liability under civil rights laws — especially given the thorny issues surrounding the industry standard of “we reserve the right to refuse to rent to anyone.”

At the 2013 Auto Rental Summit, the seminar “Pay It Forward: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Discrimination” will examine ways discrimination could manifest in the rental business and provide steps car rental companies can take to protect themselves from potential liability.

In the case of Evenchik v. Avis, for instance, a federal court will decide if a rental car operator can incur liability under various civil rights laws for extending a discount to some customers, but not others. The seminar will use this case as a topical springboard to a broader discussion of discrimination.

Lawyers Gary Remer and Daniel Warsh will present the seminar. Remer and Warsh are attorneys at Maddin, Hauser, Wartell, Roth & Heller P.C., a law firm that represents entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies across a wide swath of industries, including the auto and travel/restaurant/hospitality industries, in areas such as franchising, employment law and litigation.

Now in its second year, Auto Rental Summit is a groundbreaking training and education conference designed to improve customer service and enhance revenue of car rental operations. Auto rental managers, executives and employees from corporate, franchised and independent companies from North America and overseas are invited to attend.

Auto Rental Summit announces a new venue, the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., less than seven miles from the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

The speakers, seminar topics, round tables and networking events for the 2013 Auto Rental Summit have been finalized and can be found at www.autorentalsummit.com.