EEOC Sues Rex Healthcare, Inc. for Religious Discrimination
Federal Agency Charges Healthcare Provider Rex Healthcare Refused to Accommodate Remote Employee’s Sincerely Held Religious Beliefs
RALEIGH, N.C. (STL.News) Rex Healthcare, Inc., a private, non-profit healthcare provider 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.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2021, Rex Healthcare implemented a policy mandating that all employees receive a COVID-19 vaccination unless they were granted an exemption because of their religious beliefs or a disability. The charging party in the EEOC’s suit, who worked remotely, requested a religious exemption in accordance with the policy. Even though the employee had previously been granted an exemption from being required to take the flu vaccination based on her religious beliefs, the request for an exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination was denied.
The employee submitted multiple follow up requests with additional explanations of her religious beliefs in support of her request. Despite the employee articulating a sincerely held religious belief, Rex Healthcare denied the employee’s accommodation requests and subsequently fired her for failing to comply with the company’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, which prohibits discrimination because of an individual’s religion and requires employers to reasonably accommodate an employee’s religious observance or practice unless doing so would cause an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Rex Healthcare, Inc., Case No. 5:24-cv-00739-BO) in U.S. District Court for the District for the Eastern District of North Carolina after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
“Employer-mandated vaccine policies must allow for religious accommodations for employees with conflicting sincerely held religious beliefs unless the accommodation imposes an undue hardship for the employer,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District.
