Triple Canopy, Inc. a Reston, Virginia-based company that provides 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.
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. The company said it did so because the employee, Marcus Williams, 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 Williams for filing an EEOC charge and subjected him to “intolerable work conditions that resulted in his constructive discharge.”
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires employers to accommodate sincerely held religious beliefs absent undue hardship and prohibits retaliation against those who complain about discrimination.
The EEOC said it filed suit 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, the company will pay Williams a total of $110,759 in monetary relief. This figure represents $15,117 in back pay, $642 in interest on back pay, and $95,000 in compensatory damages.
In addition to monetary relief, Triple Canopy will institute 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.
The consent decree does not constitute an adjudication on the merits of the EEOC’s case. It also should not be construed as any admission by Triple Canopy of liability or of any discriminatory practice.
EEOC’s Philadelphia regional attorney Debra M. Lawrence said the federal agency was pleased that Triple Canopy was willing to agree to an early resolution.
Topics Virginia
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
US P/C Underwriting Results: Two Years in a Row Over $20 Billion in the Red 
Elon Musk Beats $500 Million Severance Lawsuit by Fired Twitter Workers 
Reinsurers’ Appetite Grows During Mid-Year Renewals but Discipline Remains: Brokers 
Homebuilders Cut on ‘Sluggish’ Housing Market, Florida Woes 
