EEOC: Virginia Company Must Pay Employee After Denying Religious Accommodation

TRIPLE CANOPY, INC. TO PAY $110,759 TO SETTLE EEOC RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION LAWSUIT  

Government Contractor Settles Federal Lawsuit Alleging It Failed to Provide Religious Accommodations and Retaliated against Employee

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 to provide additional substantiation of his beliefs or a supporting statement from a certified or documented religious leader. The suit also alleged that Triple Canopy retaliated against the employee for filing an EEOC charge and subjected him to intolerable work conditions that resulted in his constructive discharge.

     The alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which requires employers to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs absent undue hardship and prohibits retaliation against those who complain about discrimination. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Triple Canopy, Inc., Civil Action No.1:23-cv-1500) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its voluntary conciliation process.

Under a three-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit, in addition to monetary relief for the affected employee, Triple Canopy will institute and disseminate a new religious accommodation policy; provide training on religious discrimination and retaliation; and report to the EEOC quarterly on any complaints of religious discrimination and retaliation.

“This lawsuit raised serious issues of discrimination and retaliation,” said EEOC Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence. “We are pleased that Triple Canopy was willing to agree to an early resolution that will compensate the affected former employee and also improve its handling of religious accommodation requests going forward.”

Mindy E. Weinstein, director of the EEOC’s Washington Field Office, said, “Religion under Title VII is broadly defined; it applies not only to mainstream religious beliefs that are part of a formal religious group, but also to all aspects of an individual’s religious observance, practice, and belief. When religion conflicts with a work requirement, employers must provide an accommodation, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship.”

For more information on religious discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/religious-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Washington Field Office has jurisdiction over Washington, D.C., and parts of Virginia. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office prosecute discrimination cases within the jurisdiction of the Washington Field Office.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.

See also:

EEOC Sues Atlanta Restaurant For Firing Employee Because of Her Religious Beliefs

Betsy Combier