AT&T Pays $1.3 M In Religious Discrimination Case

The EEOC announced last week that a Satisfaction of Judgment was entered in an Arkansas federal district court in EEOC v. Southwestern Bell Telephone, LP. In the case, the EEOC sued AT&T alleging religious discrimination in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In 2005, AT&T refused to allow the two Jehovah's Witness employees to take a vacation day to attend their annual religious convention, and then fired them when they took the time off anyway. In 2007, a jury awarded $756,000 in back pay and damages. The 8th Circuit rejected an appeal on procedural grounds. (See prior posting.) With interest, the judgment amount has grown to over $1.3 million. AT&T has now paid that amount.