Furniture Store Settles EEOC Lawsuit After Denying Employee Religious Accommodation to Not Take the COVID-19 Vaccine

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently settled a religious discrimination lawsuit against Hank’s Furniture, Inc. According to the lawsuit, a former assistant manager at the company’s Pensacola, Florida location notified the company that her religious beliefs precluded her from receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Rather than discuss the employee’s religious beliefs to determine whether or not an accommodation was feasible, management denied the employee’s requests and attempted to dispute the validity of sincerely held religious beliefs.

U.S. civil rights laws hold that an employee should never have to choose between the free exercise of their religion and their employment. Such conduct violates Title VII’s prohibition on religious discrimination in the workplace. The law requires an employer to accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs if the employer knows or suspects the beliefs conflict with an employment requirement, and there is no undue burden on the employer.

In this case, the employer required all employees to be vaccinated against the virus. However, one employee had sincerely held religious beliefs that precluded her from getting vaccinations. The employee was ultimately forced to quit and respect her religion, or stay employed and do something prohibited by her religion.

The settlement 

Hank’s Furniture, Inc. will be required to pay the former employee $110,000 for violating her civil rights. Under the three-year consent decree, the furniture company will also be required to adopt and implement a written policy assuring employees that the company will interpret religious accommodation requests broadly based on EEOC guidance. They will also be required to accommodate any religious beliefs that do not put an undue burden on the company. Managers, supervisors, and key decision-makers will be required to receive updated training about Title VII’s religious protections.

Analyzing the case 

This is a tricky one. There’s been a lot of consternation over whether or not employers can require their employees to take the vaccine as a condition of employment. In most cases, they can. However, this is one case in which the employee didn’t have to. It won’t work for just anyone. The employee would have to demonstrate that they have a sincerely held religious belief that prevents them from taking vaccines. It’s not clear what religion places such prohibitions against modern medicine. The employer summarily dismissed her complaint without giving it serious attention. But that turned out to be a violation of the employee’s civil rights and free religious practice. The employer should have considered their employee’s religious accommodation and made an exception for the employee. Instead, she was forced to get vaccinated or quit.

Talk to an Atlanta, GA Employment Discrimination Lawyer Today 

If your employer has failed to make a reasonable accommodation for you based on a disability or a strongly held religious belief, call the Atlanta employment lawyers at Forsythe Law Firm, LLC today to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we can help.

Source:

eeoc.gov/newsroom/hanks-furniture-pay-110000-eeoc-religious-discrimination-lawsuit