Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, EEOC NEWS—New lawsuit alleges religious discrimination; race, national origin, disability discrimination claims settled, (May 9, 2025)

By Jonathan Anderson

The new suit accuses an employer of failing to accommodate an employee’s request for time off to observe Sabbath.

The EEOC filed suit against a Florida employer that allegedly subjected an employee to religious discrimination in violation of Title VII. Additionally, the EEOC recovered $215,699 in a settlement resolving allegations that three Florida companies subjected employees to race and national origin discrimination in violation of Title VII. The EEOC also resolved claims that an Oregon employer engaged in disability discrimination and retaliation in violation of the ADA.

Religious discrimination. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation and Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc. violated Title VII by failing to accommodate an employee’s request not to work Saturdays so she could observe Sabbath, according to a lawsuit filed by the EEOC. The suit alleges that the employer initially allowed the employee, who is a Seventh-day Adventist, a religious accommodation that allowed her to avoid Saturday shifts. After a change in management, however, the companies began scheduling the employee for Saturday shifts. The EEOC alleges that despite repeated complaints from the employee, the employer continued to schedule her for Saturdays, prompting the employee to resign.

The EEOC filed its lawsuit in the Middle District of Florida; the case is No. 6:25-cv-00790-PGB-DCI.

Race, national origin discrimination. Three Florida construction parts and auto mechanic companies agreed to pay $215,699 and furnish other relief to settle a Title VII race and national origin discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC. The lawsuit alleged that Trebor USA Corp., Colt Truck Care, LLC, and Wholesale Building Products, LLC, subjected Black and Hispanic employees to racial slurs, including supervisors calling employees the “N-word,” “boys,” and other racial slurs. The EEOC further alleged that the companies were aware of the harassment, as one of the supervisors had previously been disciplined for making racist comments in the workplace. Nevertheless, when one of the employees reported the abuse to human resources, he was fired within two weeks, the EEOC said. In addition to providing for monetary damages, a three-year consent decree requires the companies to amend their equal employment opportunity policies; conduct training for human resources personnel, management personnel, and all non-supervisory employees; provide reports to the EEOC; and post anti-discrimination notices. The companies also must design an internal audit of employee assignments to ensure that work is not assigned based on national origin and/or race.

The EEOC filed its lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida; the case is No. 0:24-cv-61817.

Disability discrimination, retaliation. Homes Direct of Oregon, LLC, a manufactured and modular homes dealer, entered into a conciliation agreement with the EEOC, which had alleged that the employer engaged in disability discrimination and retaliation in violation of the ADA against an employee based in Albany, Oregon. The EEOC alleged that after an employee requested a schedule change related to her disability, the company opted to discharge her rather than provide her with a reasonable accommodation. The EEOC’s investigation established that Homes Direct both failed to provide a reasonable accommodation and fired the employee in retaliation for revealing her disability and availing herself of her right to a reasonable accommodation. Under the settlement, Homes Direct must bolster its policies and processes for handling discrimination complaints. The company must conduct separate trainings for managers and employees designed to prevent future discrimination by educating them on their rights and responsibilities under the ADA. Provisions were also made to compensate the employee who was subjected to the discrimination. Further, as part of the settlement, the employer agreed to provide periodic updates and reports to the EEOC for a term of four years. Homes Direct has 13 locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Companies: Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation; Marriott Ownership Resorts, Inc.; Homes Direct of Oregon, LLC; Trebor USA Corp.; Colt Truck Care, LLC; Wholesale Building Products, LLC

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