Forced Prayer Service Religious Discrimination Claim

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against employees on the basis of religion, and the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  In an October 6, 2009 EEOC Press Release found at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/10-6-09.html , the agency announced that its attorneys filed a lawsuit against a Yuma, Arizona hotel, alleging that the hotel unlawfully permitted a manager to impose his personal religious beliefs on other employees and failed to accommodate those employees who did not desire to participate.  According to the Press Release, EEOC attorneys charge that the company threatened employees with reprisals or otherwise forced them to engage in a particular religious prayer ceremony in spite of their personal different religious views.  As stated in the Press Release, the unlawful discrimination created a hostile work environment and denied employees reasonable accommodation for their religious beliefs.  An EEOC attorney quoted in the Press Release stated, in part, that employees should not be subjected unwillingly to a supervisor’s religious views and should not be subjected to forced prayer sessions.  Another EEOC representative commented that “Employee freedom of and from religion must be protected.”  EEOC attorneys filed the religious discrimination lawsuit in Arizona after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement.  Further information about the EEOC is available in the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .