Religious Discrimination

Religious discrimination in the workplace involves taking an adverse employment action against a job applicant or employee based on his or her religious beliefs or association with an individual of a particular religion. Both federal and state laws prohibit religious discrimination. If you have been subjected to this type of wrongful conduct, you should consider enlisting an employment discrimination attorney to bring a lawsuit. At Gallenberg PC, our Los Angeles religious discrimination lawyers can file a charge or lawsuit on your behalf. Our team does not charge potential clients for an initial intake. The best and fastest way to contact us is through our online form. You can also feel free to call us in Burbank at (818) 237-5267, in Los Angeles at (213) 986-8432, or in Beverly Hills at (310) 295-1654.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits religious discrimination by employers that employ at least 15 workers. Religious discrimination is not permitted in any employment action, including hiring, firing, promotion or demotion, layoffs, training, or job assignments. With regard to the workplace, Title VII also prohibits harassment based on religious beliefs or association with individuals due to their religious beliefs, denials of reasonable accommodations of sincerely held beliefs or practices, and retaliation for engaging in a protected activity, such as opposing religious discrimination. Discrimination that is prohibited under Title VII may include firing someone because he is Muslim, for example, or refusing to hire someone who is otherwise qualified because he is a Scientologist.

Religion is defined broadly under Title VII. The traditional organized religions of Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism are included, as well as newer religious beliefs that are followed only by a small group of people. Religious practices may include proselytizing, adhering to dietary restrictions, displaying religious objects, and worshipping or praying.

Covered employers must provide reasonable accommodations of an employee's religious practices or beliefs, unless providing the accommodation more than minimally burdens business operations. No employer may segregate the workplace based on religion, including separating people who wear religious garb or groom themselves in a particular way due to religion. Reasonable accommodations may include flexibility with regard to grooming or dress, shift substitutions, modifications to workplace policies, or flexible job scheduling. For example, an Orthodox Jewish employee might request an exception to a policy against head coverings in order to wear a yarmulke.

The California Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2012 amended the Fair Employment and Housing Act to provide greater protection against religious discrimination on the job. Like Title VII, it requires the accommodation of religious practices and beliefs. Among other things, it specifies that an undue hardship for the purpose of determining whether to grant an accommodation requires more evidence than the loose standard used in many federal cases. FEHA is considered more protective of employee rights than federal law is.

If you have been a victim of improper treatment in your workplace based on your faith, it is important to consult a Los Angeles religious discrimination attorney as soon as possible about whether you may have a case. Gallenberg PC represents workers seeking an employment discrimination or workplace harassment lawyer in many Southern California cities, such as Burbank, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Van Nuys, Glendale, Downey, and Inglewood. Call us in Burbank at (818) 237-5267, in Los Angeles at (213) 986-8432, or in Beverly Hills at (310) 295-1654. For the fastest response, contact us through our online form to get a case evaluation.