CINCINNATI — One of the largest car dealerships in southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky has agreed to pay $2.3 million to 39 women who claimed sex discrimination because they were not hired for sales positions, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Friday.

The consent decree in federal district court resolved an EEOC lawsuit filed in 2003 alleging that 11 dealerships owned by Jeff Wyler discriminated against women.

Wyler, whose company is privately owned, annually sells some 15,000 new automobiles at nearly a dozen dealerships in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.

The group also sells boats, motorcycles and more than 7,500 used cars and about 2,000 fleet units a year.

The settlement also requires the dealerships to provide anti-discrimination training to managers and supervisors, and to provide a written explanation if a man rather than a woman is hired for a sales position during the next three years.

The Wyler group did not admit any wrongdoing under terms of the agreement.

Wyler, who bought his first dealership in 1973 and later included several dealerships and brands, is chairman of the University of Cincinnati board of trustees.