Religious Belief Accommodation Lawsuit

Religious discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for the sincerely held religious beliefs of their employees as long as no undue hardship is posed against the business.  In this regard, the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/3-30-10.cfm that agency attorneys filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against a home improvement company, alleging that the business violated federal law by requiring an employee to work on his Sabbath and by harassing and retaliating against the employee, causing him to lose hours.  According to the EEOC’s March 30, 2010 press release, the lawsuit charges that the company refused to accommodate a current employee’s sincere religious belief as a Baptist against working on the Sabbath, Sunday.  As stated in the press release, EEOC attorneys contend in the case that the employee’s written requests for religious accommodation were ignored for two months and then denied because the company asserted that it might create a hardship on other employees who might like to have Sundays off.  EEOC attorneys filed the suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement. 

The EEOC is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including religious discrimination.  Further information about the EEOC and the federal laws enforced by the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov . 

Whether religion based employment discrimination occurs in Beaumont, Conroe, Houston or elsewhere, victims may contact the EEOC and an attorney to determine if a religious discrimination lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular circumstances and facts of the potential employment discrimination claim.