By Dawn Reddy Solowey and Latoya R. Laing

Seyfarth Synopsis: The 8th Circuit recently held that while a request for a religious accommodation  may qualify as a protected activity, it is not necessarily “oppositional” so as to give rise to an opposition-clause retaliation claim under Title VII. Employers considering requests for religious accommodation should, despite this Circuit’s narrow decision,
Continue Reading 8th Circuit Agrees, Request for Religious Accommodation is not Oppositional Conduct

By Michael L. DeMarino and Dawn R. Solowey

Seyfarth SynopsisTitle VII requires employers to make “reasonable accommodations” for an employee’s religious practices. But what is “reasonable” has been the subject of much debate and litigation.  The Tenth Circuit’s decision in Christmon v. B&B Airparts, Inc., No. 17-3209, 2018 WL 2344628, at *1 (10th Cir. May 24,
Continue Reading Tenth Circuit Reaffirms That Title VII Does Not Require Employers to Offer an Employee Their “Preferred” Religious Accommodation

By Erin Dougherty Foley, Ashley K. Laken, and Craig B. Simonsen

Seyfarth Synopsis: According to the EEOC in this just filed lawsuit, a home care services provider in North Carolina violated federal disability rights law when it rejected telecommuting requests from an employee whose asthma and COPD “made her sensitive to workplace smells.” 

Earlier this month, the
Continue Reading Watch Out: Workplace Smells, ADA Disability, Telecommuting, and an EEOC Lawsuit

By Dawn Reddy Solowey

Seyfarth Synopsis: A recent decision by a federal district court in Minnesota held that a religious accommodation request is not “protected activity” under Title VII.  In defending retaliation litigation, employers should consider whether there is a viable argument that a request for religious accommodation is not sufficient to establish protected activity as a matter of
Continue Reading Court Rules Request for Religious Accommodation Is Not “Protected Activity” for Title VII Retaliation

By Dawn Reddy Solowey

Seyfarth Synopsis: In EEOC v. Consol Energy, Inc., the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a judgment against an employer for failing to accommodate an employee’s religious belief that a biometric hand scanner would tag him with the “Mark of the Beast,” contrary to his evangelical Christian religious beliefs.  

On June 12, 2017, in EEOC v.
Continue Reading The Antichrist at Work: 4th Circuit Affirms Judgment Against Employer for Failing to Accommodate Employee’s Religious Belief Regarding “Mark of the Beast”

By Paul Galligan and Samuel Sverdlov

iStock_000042612884_MediumSeyfarth Synopsis: The District Court of the Southern District of New York granted an employer’s motion for summary judgment on an employee’s failure to accommodate claims, holding that the plaintiff did not hold a bona fide religious belief, and failed to provide notice to the employer regarding his need for religious accommodation.

Requests
Continue Reading “Believe It or Not” SDNY Grants Summary Judgment to Employer on Religious Accommodation Claim