Yesterday, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the award of nominal damages ($1) and of attorneys fees and costs to Doyle Ollis, Jr., a member of the Assemblies of God Church, who sued his employer, HearthStone Homes, Inc. for religious discrimination and retaliation. In Ollis v. HearthStone Homes, Inc., (8th Cir., July 27, 2007), the court found that there was sufficient evidence for the jury to find that the company’s firing of Ollis for asking a co-employee inappropriate sexual questions was pretextual, and that the real reason for his firing was religious discrimination.
HearthStone's owner, John Smith, believed in "Mind Body Energy". The court found that "HearthStone used Mind Body Energy (MBE) sessions to 'cleanse [the] negative energy' from its employees in order to enhance their work performance. [It] … paid for its employees to attend an MBE course in California which required participants to read The Tibetan Book of Life, discussing Buddhist and Hindu teachings." Smith also used a technique called "muscle testing" when questioning employees or making business decisions. These were inconsistent with Ollis' religious beliefs.
The court's description of both Smith’s business practices and Ollis’ interaction with a female employee – who was later herself discharged for “doing cart-wheels naked on a golf course”-- suggest that the entire atmosphere of this Nebraska home sales company was somewhat unconventional. [Thanks to Alliance Alert for the lead.]
