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Welcome to the EEOC's Virtual Newsroom, which offers a wide range of information and materials on the Commission's history, functions, procedures, programs, actions and staff, on the statutes we enforce, and on related research, data and statistics. We encourage everyone to browse and search through our continually updated Press Kit, which provides extensive background and context for virtually any question.

To contact The Office of Communications, please phone 202-921-3191 or send an e-mail to newsroom@eeoc.gov. Please note, this e-mailbox is intended for reporters, news producers, those writing for news publication and broadcasts, and other people working on news programs or stories.

If you are seeking information about the EEOC, please call 1-800-669-4000 or e-mail info@eeoc.gov.

 

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Displaying 1 - 24 of 446 results for 'religious'

Press release

EEOC Acting Chair Promises to Hold Accountable Universities and Colleges for Antisemitism on Campus Workplaces

WASHINGTON – Today, EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas promised to hold accountable universities and colleges which have created a hostile-work environment for their Jewish employees.

“In the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks in Israel, news coverage of the severe outbreaks of antisemitism at our country’s leading universities focused on the students affected — from investigations at the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, to Congressional hearings, to federal lawsuits and

March 5, 2025

Press release

President Appoints Andrea R. Lucas EEOC Acting Chair

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that President Donald J. Trump has named Commissioner Andrea R. Lucas Acting Chair of the EEOC. Lucas has served as an EEOC Commissioner since 2020, having been nominated by President Trump during his first term.

“I am honored to be chosen by President Trump to lead the EEOC, our nation’s premier civil rights agency enforcing federal employment antidiscrimination laws,” Lucas said. “I look forward

January 21, 2025

Press release

EEOC Sues Rex Healthcare, Inc. for Religious Discrimination

RALEIGH, N.C.  – Rex Healthcare, Inc., a private, non-profit healthcare provider located in Raleigh, North Carolina, violated federal law when it failed to accommodate an employee’s religious beliefs and fired her for failing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2021 Rex Healthcare implemented a policy mandating that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination

December 26, 2024

Press release

EEOC Highlights How Wearable Technologies May Implicate Employment Discrimination Laws

WASHINGTON – A new fact sheet titled “Wearables in the Workplace: The Use of Wearables and Other Monitoring Technology Under Federal Employment Discrimination Laws,” released today by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) addresses use of wearable technologies in the nation’s workplaces. These technologies can be used to track various physical factors, such as an employee’s location, heart rate, electrical brain activity, or fatigue.

The new fact sheet reminds employers that employment

December 19, 2024

Press release

Center One and Capital Management Services to Pay $60,000 in EEOC Religious Accommodation Suit

Pittsburgh – Center One, LLC, a provider of consumer debt collection services, and Capital Management Services, LP, a related company based in Buffalo, New York, will pay $60,000 to settle a religious accommodation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC’s lawsuit alleged that in October 2016, a Center One employee, an adherent of Messianic Judaism, requested a reasonable accommodation of his religious belief requiring abstaining

October 25, 2024

Press release

Center One and Capital Management Services to Pay $60,000 in EEOC Religious Accommodation Suit

Pittsburgh – Center One, LLC, a provider of consumer debt collection services, and Capital Management Services, LP, a related company based in Buffalo, New York, will pay $60,000 to settle a religious accommodation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC’s lawsuit alleged that in October 2016, a Center One employee, an adherent of Messianic Judaism, requested a reasonable accommodation of his religious belief requiring abstaining

October 24, 2024

Press release

EEOC Sues Logic Staffing for Religious Discrimination and Retaliation

SEATTLE – Logic Staffing, a Washington-based staffing and recruiting agency, violated federal law when it rejected a qualified job applicant who asked for a religious accommodation to attend Friday prayer, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a lawsuit filed on September 30, 2024.

According to the EEOC's suit, Logic Staffing invited the applicant to interview at its Kent, Washington, headquarters the day after receiving his online application. On the strength of his

October 3, 2024

Press release

EEOC Sues AG Equipment for Religious and Disability Discrimination

TULSA, Okla. – AG Equipment Company, a Broken Arrow, Oklahoma compressor packaging manufacturer, violated federal law when it fired 10 employees for failing to receive a COVID-19 vaccination because of their religious beliefs or medical restrictions, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in the fall of 2021, AG Equipment mandated all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination and told workers no exceptions would be

August 30, 2024

Press release

EEOC Sues Buffalo Wild Wings for Religious Discrimination

ATLANTA – BWW Resources, LLC, which owns and operates Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants, violated federal law when it failed to hire a job candidate because of her religion, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a server candidate for the Douglasville, Georgia location wore long skirts in public because of her sincerely held religious beliefs. Before she applied, the Douglasville general manager told the

August 13, 2024

Press release

Charlotte IHOP to Pay $40,000 in EEOC Religious Discrimination and Retaliation Suit

CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Suncakes NC, LLC, a North Carolina-based company, and Suncakes, LLC, a Texas-based company doing business as IHOP (collectively “Suncakes”), will pay $40,000 and provide other relief to settle a religious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Suncakes hired a cook at its Woodlawn Road location in Charlotte in January 2021. At the time of hire, the

August 6, 2024

Press release

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

MOBILE, Ala.  – Hank’s Furniture, Inc. (HFI), a nationwide furniture retailer, 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 today.

According to the lawsuit, a former assistant manager at HFI’s Pensacola, Florida, location notified the company that her religious beliefs prevented her from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Rather than discuss the employee’s religious beliefs to determine the

July 18, 2024

Press release

Houchens Food Group to Pay $40,000 in EEOC Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

INDIANAPOLIS – Houchens Food Group, a large owner and operator of retail grocery, convenience and hardware stores and quick service restaurants headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will pay $40,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Houchens subjected Matthew Barnett, a Spiritualist Rastafarian, to discrimination when it refused to hire him for a position at its Hometown IGA store in Williamsburg, Kentucky because he needed a religious

June 27, 2024

Press release

Wheeler Trucking to Pay $65,000 to Resolve EEOC Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit

CLEVELAND – Nationwide automotive hauling and logistics company Wheeler Trucking, doing business as Wheeler Trucking Inc. and Wheeler Logistics, Inc. will pay $65,000 and furnish equitable relief to settle a race and religion lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Wheeler subjected Charles R. Lynch, III, a Torah Observant employee at its Sheffield, Ohio, location to discrimination when they revoked his religious accommodation that

June 21, 2024

Press release

Passages Family Support to Pay $95,000 to Resolve Religious Discrimination Charge

SEATTLE – Passages Family Support, a non-profit organization with a clinic in Spokane, Washington, has agreed to pay $95,000 and provide other injunctive relief following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

A former employee who worked as a mental health therapist alleged that she requested a job-related accommodation for a religious belief that conflicted with a stated requirement of her position. The EEOC’s investigation found that, despite

April 4, 2024

Press release

Blackwell Security Services Will Pay $70,000 to Settle EEOC Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

CHICAGO – Blackwell Security Services, Inc. will pay $70,000 and provide other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC charged in its suit that Blackwell refused to accommodate an employee’s religious practice, needlessly forcing him to choose between his religion and his livelihood. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the employee, who worked as a concierge in Chicago, Illinois, is

January 31, 2024

Press release

Amrith Kaur Aakre Chosen as New Director of EEOC’s Chicago District

Amrith Kaur Aakre (second from left) poses during her swearing-in ceremony as the director of the EEOC’s Chicago District on Jan. 29, with Thomas Colclough, director of field management programs, and her parents Rajinder and Navinder Mago.

Amrith Kaur Aakre (second from left) poses during her swearing-in ceremony as the director of the EEOC’s Chicago District on Jan. 29, with Thomas Colclough, director of field management programs, and her parents Rajinder and Navinder Mago. Aakre took her oath on the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. (EEOC photo/Nanisa Pereles)

WASHINGTON - Amrith Kaur Aakre will serve as the new director of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Chicago District, the federal

January 30, 2024

Press release

Trinity Health-Michigan to Pay $50,000 to Settle EEOC Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Trinity Health Grand Rapids, formerly known as Mercy Health St. Mary’s, a hospital and member of the Trinity Health-Michigan health system, agreed to pay $50,000 and provide other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Trinity Health violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by rescinding a job offer

January 19, 2024

Press release

Triple Canopy, Inc. to Pay $110,759 to Settle EEOC Religious Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit

WASHINGTON – Triple Canopy, Inc. a Reston, Virginia-based company providing protective services to federal agencies, will pay a former employee $110,759 and provide other relief to settle a religious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Triple Canopy denied a religious accommodation to an employee who held a Christian belief that men must wear beards because the employee was unable

December 26, 2023

Press release

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta to Pay $45,000 to Settle EEOC Religious Discrimination Lawsuit

ATLANTA – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Inc. (CHOA), a pediatric healthcare system in Georgia, will pay $45,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employ­ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC charged in its suit that a maintenance employee requested a religious exemption to CHOA’s flu vaccination requirements based on sincerely held religious beliefs, in accordance with CHOA’s procedures. CHOA granted the same employee a religious exemption

December 22, 2023

Press release

EEOC Sues Wheeler Trucking for Race and Religious Discrimination, Retaliation

CLEVELAND – Wheeler Trucking violated federal civil rights laws when the company subjected an employee at its Lorain County, Ohio location to harassment because of race and religion, denied him a religious accommodation, retaliated against him for complaining and separated him from employ­ment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Wheeler Trucking subjected the former employee to frequent, severe harassment because of race

October 13, 2023

Press release

Landry’s Restaurant Chain Subsidiary Pays $25,000 to Resolve Religious Discrimination Suit

ATLANTA – Del Frisco’s Grille of Atlanta, LLC—which was part of a national restaurant group operated by Landry’s LLC but ceased operations last month—will pay a former employee $25,000 and provide other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit filed the U.S. Equal Employment Oppor­tunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.  

The EEOC alleged in its suit that Del Frisco’s violated federal law by failing to accommodate an employee’s religious practices and then

October 12, 2023

Press release

UFP Ranson, LLC to Pay $215,000 to Settle EEOC Race and Religious Harassment Suit

Martinsburg, W.V. – UFP Ranson, LLC, a subsidiary of UFP Industries, Inc. that manu­factures lumber and building materials in Ranson, West Virginia, will pay $215,000 to settle a race and religious harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, beginning shortly after his transfer to the lumber-treating department in July 2019 and continuing until his discharge in June 2020, UFP Ranson employees

September 28, 2023

Press release

EEOC Sues Chipotle for Religious Discrimination and Retaliation

ST. LOUIS – National restaurant chain Chipotle violated federal law when a manager at the company’s Lenexa, Kansas location harassed a teen worker for wearing a hijab and when the company retaliated against her after she complained, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed yesterday. The agency further alleged the teen was forced to resign because of the discriminatory treatment.

According to the suit, the teen was employed as a

September 28, 2023

Press release

EEOC Sues Blackwell Security Services for Religious Discrimination

CHICAGO – Blackwell Security Services, Inc., a hotel and condominium staffing company, violated federal law when it refused to accommodate an employee’s religious practice, forcing him to choose between his religion and his livelihood, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the employee, who worked as a concierge in Chicago, Illinois, is a practicing Muslim who wears a beard as required by his religious

September 26, 2023