EEOC Forces Hank’s Furniture to Pay $110,000 in Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

The EEOC recently settled a lawsuit with Hank’s Furniture, Inc., a nationwide furniture retailer, for religious discrimination. According to the terms of the settlement, Hank’s Furniture, Inc. will pay $110,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced.

According to the lawsuit, a former assistant manager at Hank’s Furniture, Inc. in Pensacola, Florida, notified the company that her religious beliefs prevented her from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Instead of discussing the matter of the employee’s religious beliefs to determine whether an accommodation was possible,  the company summarily denied the employee’s request for a religious accommodation and attempted to dispute the validity of the employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs.

The EEOC contended that this alleged conduct violated Title VII’s prohibition on religious discrimination in the workplace. Federal law requires an employer to accommodate an employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs if the employer knows or suspects the beliefs conflict with an employer’s policy, and the accommodation would not pose an undue burden on the employer.

The settlement

The settlement requires Hank’s Furniture, Inc. to pay $110,000 to the former employee whose civil rights were violated by their policy. Under the three-year consent decree, Hank’s Furniture will also adopt and implement a written policy assuring all of their employees that it will interpret religious accommodation requests broadly based on EEOC guidance and will accommodate religious beliefs that do not put an undue burden on the company. In addition, decision-makers, managers and employees will receive updated training about Title VII’s religious accommodation and anti-discrimination provisions.

Understanding the law

The law seeks to prevent an employee from choosing  between their religious practice and their livelihood. In this case, the employee was required to take a COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.   Employers can require employees to take the vaccine, but they must entertain both disability requests and religious requests for accommodation. If your religious practice prevents you from taking a vaccine, then the employer must investigate the issue to determine whether or not an accommodation is required by law. In this case, the employer, with no undue hardship to itself, decided to deny the employee’s request for a reasonable accommodation without giving it serious consideration. This violated federal law and prevented the employee from freely exercising their religion.

Ultimately, the EEOC filed suit against the company for religious discrimination and recovered a $110,000 settlement for the victim. The company will be required to revise its policies concerning religious accommodation and ensure that future violations of the law do not occur.

Talk to Tampa, FL Employment Discrimination Lawyer Today 

Florin Gray represents the interests of employees who have been discriminated against in the workplace. If you have been denied a reasonable accommodation based on your religious practice, then you may be entitled to file suit and recover damages related to the violation of your civil rights. Call our Tampa employment attorneys today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin investigating your case right away.

Source:

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