Pentecostal Detention Officer Loses Most Claims About Pants-Only Policy

Finnie v. Lee County, Mississippi, (ND MS, Jan. 17, 2012), is a lawsuit brought by a former juvenile detention center security officer who was terminated after she insisted on wearing a skirt rather than the pants required by the sheriff's department uniform policy.  Plaintiff Crystal Finnie originally complied with the uniform policy, but refused to do so after she converted to the Pentecostal faith in August 2008.  In a 67-page opinion, the court dismissed Finnie's free exercise and free speech claims, as well as her Title VII religious and gender discrimination claims. However it permitted her to proceed with her claim that her dismissal was in retaliation for her filing an EEOC complaint. AP reports on the decision.