MIAMI (LN) — Menzies Aviation (USA), Inc. will pay $55,000 and implement new religious accommodation policies to settle a federal lawsuit alleging the aviation logistics provider failed to accommodate an employee’s Sabbath observance.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement on Tuesday, resolving a suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
According to the EEOC, the company failed to accommodate a request from a Fort Lauderdale-based employee to be excused from work during her Sabbath, which runs from Friday sundown through Saturday. The agency alleged the refusal forced the employee to quit in December 2023.
“Employers need to be aware of their obligations under federal law to provide reasonable religious accommodations,” EEOC Miami Regional Attorney Kristen Foslid said in a statement. “We appreciate Menzies Aviation’s cooperation in resolving this matter and its commitment to implementing policy changes and training that will help ensure compliance going forward.”
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to reasonably accommodate employees’ sincerely held religious beliefs unless doing so would impose an undue hardship. The EEOC filed suit after attempting to resolve the matter through its administrative conciliation process.
Under the five-year consent decree, Menzies Aviation will pay the former employee $55,000 in compensatory damages. The company must also adopt a comprehensive religious accommodation policy, provide regular training to managers and employees on religious discrimination obligations, and report accommodation requests to the EEOC.
Miami District Director Evangeline Hawthorne said the resolution highlights the agency’s commitment to ensuring employees can uphold their sincerely held religious beliefs without fear of losing their jobs, and urged employers to take proactive steps to train their workforce and implement policies that comply with federal law.