DETROIT (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a lawsuit July 19 against Sleneem Enterprises LLC, a franchise operator of Tim Horton's Café and Bake Shop in Romulus, Michigan, for allegations of refusing to accommodate a sincerely held religious belief.
According to EEOC, Amanda Corley worked at the Tim Horton’s in Romulus and came to work in skirts instead of the standard uniform pants. She explained that the decision was part of her sincerely held religious beliefs as a member of the Pentecostal Apostolic faith. She provided a letter from her pastor to management, but the letter was allegedly denied and she was fired.
"Sleneem's refusal to accommodate Corley and the decision to instead fire her were completely unjustified and unlawful," said EEOC Indianapolis regional attorney Kenneth Bird, whose jurisdiction includes Michigan. "It would have been simple to allow Ms. Corley to wear a skirt, and would not have negatively impacted the business in any way. Employers have an obligation to provide these types of reasonable religious accommodations, and when they fail to, the EEOC will step in."
The EEOC seeks lost wages and compensatory and punitive damages for Corley as well as injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination by the defendants.
The EEOC's Detroit Field Office is part of the Indianapolis District Office, which has jurisdiction over Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and parts of Ohio.