Texas Chick-fil-A business owner sued over alleged Sabbath discrimination
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A Texas Chick-fil-A franchisee is facing a federal lawsuit for allegedly refusing to accommodate an employee’s beliefs before firing her.
According to a complaint filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and obtained by FOX Business, Hatch Trick, Inc. — who works at several Chick-fil-A restaurants in the Austin area — allegedly discriminated against employee Laurel Torode, whose faith prevents her from working Saturdays.
Torode, who is a member of the United Church of God, is reported to have disclosed in his interview that he observes the Sabbath from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
The EEOC said the company initially accepted his request while he was working as a manager supervising delivery drivers at one Austin location.
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A Texas Chick-fil-A franchisee has been sued by the EEOC for allegedly denying an employee Sabbath observance before firing her. The employee, Laurel Torode, said her faith prevents her from working from sundown on Friday until sundown. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Getty Images)
That arrangement is said to have changed a few months later.
“At the beginning of February 2024, the defendant told Torode that moving forward would require him to work on Saturdays, including the time he spent on Sabbath,” as noted in the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, Torode sought accommodation and met with company officials to discuss alternatives that would allow him to continue his managerial duties while continuing to observe his Sabbath.
Instead, the company allegedly told him he would need to accept a delivery driver position with reduced pay, fewer hours and reduced benefits if he wanted to avoid Saturday shifts.
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Laurel Torode, a member of the United Church of God, said that during an interview with him, he disclosed that he would not be able to work from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
When Torode refused the position, Hatch Trick terminated his employment, according to the EEOC.
The EEOC alleges that the company violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to accommodate employees’ religious beliefs unless doing so would cause undue hardship.
“The duty under federal law to provide a reasonable religious accommodation reflects our society’s recognition of the importance of faith in the daily lives of employees and the unwavering respect for those who view religious practices as an expression of that faith,” EEOC Acting Dallas District Attorney Ronald L. Phillips said in a statement.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Austin after the EEOC said efforts to resolve the dispute failed.
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The employee says he was told to accept a low-paying driving job to avoid Saturday shifts, and was terminated when he refused. (Robert Nickelsberg / Getty Images / Getty Images)
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This case has drawn attention because Chick-fil-A is famously closed on Sundays, a policy the company says was founded by founder S. Truett Cathy in 1946, so that workers can “relax, enjoy time with their families and loved ones or serve if they choose.”
Chick-fil-A declined to comment on the lawsuit, but told FOX Business that “as a business entity, all employment decisions are the responsibility of each restaurant owner.”
Hatch Trick Inc. and the EEOC could not immediately be reached by FOX Business for comment.
